Fairy Tail vs The Seven Deadly Sins
by whackybiscuit
Summary: While chasing a thief, Natsu accidentally breaks a seal that unleashes seven powerful demons from their slumber. Now Team Natsu and Fairy Tail are in for the fight of their lives as they go head-to-head with the demons known as The Seven Deadly Sins!
1. Chapter 1

Fairy Tail vs. The Seven Deadly Sins

 **A.N.: For the record: NO! This is not a crossover with The Seven Deadly Sins manga. I do not do crossovers. I was having a conversation with Awareness Bringer and I decided to expand my storytelling into other manga that aren't just One-Shot requests. To be frank, the main inspiration for this story didn't come from The Seven Deadly Sins manga, which I have read by the way, but from the trailer of Darksiders III.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. **

_Chapter 1: The Broken Seal_

 _ **A few weeks after the Grand Magical Games….  
**_ **The Town of Silva**

The small town of Silva bustled as people went about their day to day lives. Merchants stood by their stalls while peddling their wares. Children played in the fields with smiles on their faces. Birds were singing. Wizards were busy chasing thieves that had Lucy's keys.

Natsu, Happy, Gray, Erza, Wendy and Lucy were all busy chasing a thief in a dark cloak, Lucy's keys in his hand. The group had just completed a job, miraculously without leveling the town, and was busy eating celebratory ice cream when a thief knocked over Lucy and swiped her keys. The moment she realized her keys were gone they took off after the thief.

"Get back here!" Natsu screamed as he chased the thief, however the lowlife was an agile one and he expertly evaded the well-trained Wizards.

"Heheheh…" the thief snickered as he ducked into an alley. "These keys will sell a mint on the black market!"

The chase led them all across town, the Wizards not letting up in their pursuit. The thief, running out of places to go, ducked an incoming sword thrown by Erza and ran up the steps of a small monastery that was at the edge of town. Cursing for missing the thief, Erza and the others gave chase. The group saw a small group of monks outside tending to the garden nearby, dressed in brown robes.

The thief pushed past the monks and dashed through the open door of the monastery. Natsu and the others pushed aside the monks in their way. The thief, seeing the pursuing Wizards, slammed the door and bolted it shut.

But what would stop a normal pursuer was nothing but a wooden door was nothing more than a mild hindrance to someone like Natsu, who kicked the old, massive door down with a single, flaming foot. The monks inside, already terrified because of the thief that had barged into their sanctum, all scattered from the charging Fairy Tail wizards.

The thief dashed into the middle of the monastery's cathedral. He looked around but saw no exit or stairs leading up. The cathedral was rather small, with only a stained glass window on the ceiling depicting a tree and a circular bronze tablet in the middle of the chamber. On it was inscribed seven apples. Cursing, the thief turned around and saw that the Fairy Tail wizards had surrounded him. Pointing her sword at the thief, Erza glared at the thief. "Who are you? And why do you want Lucy's keys?"

Sighing, the thief pulled out a small sword before whipping his cloak off. The group braced themselves when the thief smiled wickedly at them. He was a grizzled man in his thirties with a shaved head. A tattoo of a rat was branded on his forehead. "I recognize that tattoo!" Lucy said, looking at the thief angrily. "He's a member of the Thieves Guild, Ratpack!"

"I've heard of them," Erza said. "They're a guild of lowlifes and scum."

"Hah!" the thief laughed. "Says the guild that stomps towns into oblivion like a heard of thundering elephants!" he retorted. "But you're right about my affiliation," he gave a mocking bow. "Jango's the name. Ace thief of Ratpack, at your service."

"Not that good of a thief, are you?" Gray mocked.

"Jango?" Wendy said, a large question mark on her head. "What kind of name is that? That sounds lame and generic; as if someone just came up with it on the fly," she deadpanned.

"Well, excuse me, princess!" Jango shouted in annoyance.

"Enough!" Lucy shouted back. "Give me back my keys!"

"No can do, sweetheart!" Jango jingled the keys in his hand and grinned. "I saw what these babies can do when I watched the Games. Ten Golden Zodiac keys plus multiple Silver Zodiac keys? I've enough dough in my hands to live in a palace!"

Anger burned in Erza's eyes. She knew how important Lucy's keys were to her and she wouldn't let this thief get away with extorting her friend's pride and joy. "Hand them over or you won't be walking out of here with legs, Jango!"

Smirking, the thief reached into his pocket and pulled out something. "Keep telling yourself that, girlie. I've seen what you people do and I ain't that dumb enough to pick a fight with you. Just as a Wizard has ways of fighting," he held up a small ball in his hand, "A thief has ways of fighting." And with that he hurled the ball to the ground. Smoke erupted from the ball, blinding everyone. "Ahahahah!" Jango laughed as he made his way to the door. "Later, Fairy dorks!" he taunted…for about five seconds.

 _WHAM!_

Through the smoke, Natsu punched Jango in the face, sending him sprawling into the pews. Wendy used her Sky Dragon's Roar to dispel the smoke, clearing everyone's vision. "Nice nose, Natsu," Erza complimented.

"Crap!" Jango hauled himself up. "I forgot you Dragon Slayers are human monsters. Fine then…" he muttered before drawing a short sword. "The hard way it is then." When Natsu charged at him, Jango merely ducked underneath his punch and dashed past the Dragon Slayer. Unable to stop, Natsu collided with a pillar with a loud crash. Jango grinned evilly as he charged at Lucy. "A rat always goes for the weakest link!"

 _CLANG!_

As Erza stepped in front of Lucy, Jango's blade glanced harmlessly off of hers before the Armored Wizard smashed it to pieces with a single swing of her enchanted blade. "I can see that honor among thieves is a dead principle to Ratpack."

Realizing his chances of escaping with the keys were growing more faint, Jango tried to run for the door…except he couldn't move his legs. "What the hell?" He looked down and saw that his legs had been frozen. Walking over to him, Gray snagged Lucy's keys from them.

"Here you go, Lucy," Gray said as he handed them over to his friend. Lucy thanked him before glaring at the thief.

"Grrrr! Dammit all!" Jango grumbled. Sighing, he stopped struggling against the ice and instead started snickering. "So what's the deal here? You gonna give me some stern lecture about "being a productive member of society"? Gonna give me a spanking?" he mocked, raising his eyebrows suggestively at Erza. "Wizards ain't got any authority to arrest people," he reminded.

Erza and the others merely smiled. "No, but we can give you a stern punch. Right, Natsu?"

Jango saw a shadow loom over him and turned his head to see the Dragon Slayer already on his feet again. Hauling his flaming fist back, Natsu grinned at Jango's horrified expression. "Tell your little buddies this: Nobody steals from Fairy Tail!"

 _WHAM!_

Natsu's mighty blow pummeled Jango into the ground, cracking the bronze tablet beneath them from the sheer force of the blow. Jango coughed up blood before landing on a pew, smashing it to splinters.

"And that takes care of that," Natsu announced, dusting his hands.

"Thanks, guys," Lucy said, clutching her keys close. "I don't know what I'd have done if I'd lost my keys."

"We're your friends, Lucy," Erza said proudly. "We'd go to the ends of the earth to get them back. You know that."

The group was interrupted when a monk approached them. "Well now, the bonds of youthful friendship is a beautiful thing," he smiled. "Greetings, Wizards. I am the head of the Order of Yggdrasil."

"I see." Erza bowed in reverence. "We're sorry to have caused such a disturbance, your grace."

"Please, treat me like any other man, my dear," the old man, his beard thick and grey, shook her hand. "Think nothing about the damage you'd caused. What can be torn down can be replaced good as new. Besides," he cocked a thumb at the incapacitated Jango, "Watching that man get his just desserts was amusing. We can forgive thievery for survival's sake. But thievery for selfishness is abhorrent to his soul and everyone else's. Come," he gestured to the ruins of the door that Natsu kicked out. "I'll show to the-" He stopped dead in his tracks when he looked at the floor. When his eyes saw the cracked bronze tablet his eyes widened in horror. "Oh no!" his head snapped up and he grabbed Natsu by his shoulders. "What have you done?! The seal! The seal has been broken!"

"Seal?" Erza looked at the tablet before realizing that some of the tiny words inscribed on the metal was actually a sealing enchantment. "What did you have sealed away?"

No sooner did the words come out of her mouth then the monastery started to shake. The old man merely trembled in fear as the ground beneath their feet started to crack.

"Our worst nightmare."

The ground opened up, creating a fissure in the middle of the cathedral. The roof tore itself apart as the place was split in two. Gray shielded Wendy and Lucy from falling debris with his ice while Natsu and Erza crushed any stone that came near them. When the cataclysm ended, everyone took a moment to breathe. "Is everyone alright?" Erza called out.

"No…" said the monk, who'd been protected by Erza during the earthquake. "Nothing is right anymore…."

It was then that the Fairy Tail wizards realized they weren't alone with the cathedral. Turning around they saw seven new people standing beneath the stained glass window. "Who are they?" Lucy asked the monk.

The monk shivered as he hid behind Erza. "Those are seven demons that our order sealed away long ago."

"Demons?" Erza gasped. "You mean from the Book of Zeref?"

"No, these are different," the monk explained. "A single legend has been passed down through our order. Under no condition are those seven ever allowed to roam free again." He pointed to each of them.

"Wrath!"

A huge, buking man with gothic black armor pauldrons sat on the ruins of a collapsed pillar. His face was obscured from black hood that covered his face but the group saw glowing red eyes peer at them from the darkness of the hood. His sword, broad and wicked, dripped neverending blood onto the floor.

"Lust!"

A woman sat on the altar in front of another demon, her features anything less than human. With a pinkish tint to her skin, she had horns sprouting from the sides of her head, like those of a rams. Her hooves clicked together as she sat clad in black leather while showing off all of her curves. In her hands she twirled a black flute.

"Envy!"

The tamest-looking of the bunch, a small girl stood near the fissure in the ground. She wore a plain black dress but her eyes were a sick yellow. When she looked up, the group saw that her face was riddled with scars.

"Sloth!"

Standing behind Wrath was a tall, lanky man who wore a black-and-white prison garb. His body was wrapped in chains and he had a gaunt, weary expression on his face. Beside him was a huge sewing needle.

"Gluttony!"

An overweight man was sitting on a throne made entirely of bones. He wore monk robes but they were covered in blood; his hairstyle was styled like that of the monks of the monastery but it was badly in need of grooming.. In his hands was a piece of meat on a stick. To everyone's disgust and revulsion, they realized that what Gluttony was doing was eating meat off of a human femur.

"Greed!"

A man was crouched next to Lust. He had the look of a tribal shaman with his dark skin and voodoo headdress; except that his staff was covered in jewels. His garments were likewise decked out in rubies, sapphires, emeralds and diamonds. At his waist was a belt of multi-covered jewels.

"Pride!"

Standing at the altar behind Lust and looking on at the bewildered people was a knight in gleaming silver armor. His face was handsome and his hair oiled back; of the seven he looked the most human of the bunch. On his breastplate was a tree; the same tree that was on the stained glass window behind him. In one hand was a shield and in the other was a bright, silver sword.

"What are they?" Erza asked.

The monk gulped as he trembled in sheer horror. "Those…those are the Seven Deadly Sins!"

To be continued

 **A.N.: Please R &R.**


	2. The Return of the Seven

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

 _Chapter 2: Return of the Seven_

 _ **Back to where we left off….  
**_ **Order of Yggdrasil cathedral**

All five of the Fairy Tail wizards could feel the evil coming off of the demons in front of them. Natsu's nose twitched and he fought back the urge to hurl. All seven of them smelled of death. Erza tensed herself and readied her sword. Behind her, the monk trembled in fear, his hands going for the silver necklace around his neck. Lucy, Gray and Wendy were similarly frightened. They'd face demons before but these seven felt vile in comparison to the others.

The knight behind the pew observed the view. His eyes glanced over the cathedral's ruined appearance then to the Wizards, to the monk and then to Jango, who was hiding behind a pillar in fear after the shaking woke him up. Jango cowered when Pride's gaze glanced to him but the demon paid him no mind. Raising his gloved hand, he flexed it and smiled. "Free at last…" he said in a smooth, silky voice.

"Yessss…" Lust purred, arching her back as she stretched out her legs. "I feel so stiff after spending so much years cooped up underground. I need to find some nice toys. I'm out of practice," she said before her eyes turned to the group in front of them. "Oh? What's this?" Her lips formed an evil smile as she turned her eyes on Lucy. "I didn't even need to wait."

In a small voice, the girl in front looked up and spoke up, "Who're they?" she asked.

"Wizards, Envy," Greed explained, his staff tapping the ground as he walked over towards Pride. "Can't you feel their magic energy? Pride, what's the plan?" he asked.

Before Pride could speak, the monk behind Erza pointed at him and shook Erza's shoulder. "What are you waiting for?! STOP THEM!" he pleaded. "They'll kill everyone!"

Pride's eyebrow rose when he saw the monk. A thin smile graced his lips when he suddenly recognized him. "Bartolomeo," he addressed. "I thought I recognized you. My, oh my, you've aged. How old are you now? Eighty? Eighty-five?"

"Eighty-three!" the monk, Bartolomeo, answered indignantly. "You look just as twisted as the day we sealed you away!"

"Yes, I remember it well…" Pride said as he drew his gleaming silver blade. "How unfortunate. You've become old and infirm. You won't be sealing us away again. But just in case…" his blue eyes narrowed with evil, murderous intent, "I'll be taking your head."

With alarming deftness, Pride leapt over the pew and Lust, swinging his blade with the intent on cutting Bartolomeo's head clean off. Erza barely had time to put herself in his way and had even less time to block his strike. "Stay back, demon!" Erza shouted as she pushed her blade against Pride's.

"Oh? You seem well versed in swordplay," Pride noted as he stepped back and braking the bladelock. Giving Erza a mock salute with his blade, he smiled. "Come, my dear Wizard. Let us dance."

As soon as Erza and Pride's blades started to collide, the other members on both teams leapt into action. Natsu, not wanting to let Erza outdo him, leapt up into the air with a flaming fist. He aimed to punch Sloth, who was simply standing there and looking bored. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he shouted before throwing his punch.

His attack never made it to Sloth.

Wrath, who had risen from his seat on the collapsed pillar, reached out and grabbed Natsu's leg. "You leave yourself wide open, child," the huge man scolded before slamming Natsu to the ground. Natsu immediately rose to his feet and grinned at Wrath. Scoffing, Wrath stabbed his sword into the ground and cracked his knuckles.

"Raaaaah!" Natsu shouted before charging at Wrath, both hands ablaze. "FIRE DRAGON'S TALONS!" he shouted as he swiped at Wrath.

The hulking demon easily dodged Natsu's strikes, observing the Dragon Slayer's pattern of attack. Over and over again he dodged and blocked Natsu's strikes, Natsu's fiery hands not doing anything to his black gauntlets. Finally, as Natsu threw another punch, he caught it with his bare hand. "Your defense is as brittle as bones." In a single motion he swung Natsu around and slammed him into the ground, leaving a Natsu-shaped impression in the concrete. "You're overrated, kid." Wrath raised a heavy boot.

"Let me show you a real hit."

Three sounds echoed throughout the cathedral. The first was the sound of rumbling when Wrath brought his foot down, the shockwave shaking the entire monastery to its very foundation. The second sound was the sound of bone braking. In one motion, Wrath completely shattered five of Natsu's ribs with a single stomp. The third…was Natsu's scream of pain.

"AHHHHHHHH!" the pink-haired boy screamed. He was used to pain, having endured so many fights. But even he couldn't withstand the brutality that was the demonic Wrath.

"NATSU!" Gray shouted. This was the first time in a long time that he'd seen Natsu be brought down so swiftly; Even their defeat at the Oracion Seis hadn't been that brutal. He put his hands together and ran over to the huge black-armored demon. "Get off of him! Ice Make: Cold Excalibur!" he shouted.

And nothing happened.

"What?!" he looked down and saw no ice in his hand. More so than that, he didn't feel any magic in his body. "Why can't I use my magic?" When he felt a dark, sinister presence behind him, he turned around and saw the small girl directly behind him. Her sickly yellow eyes stared at Gray before she made a familiar gesture with her hands. "Wha-"

"GRAY!" Wendy screamed before the Ice Maker Wizard was frozen solid in a block of ice. "NO!" Her hands covered her mouth as she felt sick. "Lucy, we need to do something!"

Lucy nodded, grabbing her keys. She couldn't understand it. How could Gray be frozen like that? He was an _ICE_ Wizard for crying out loud! She readied one of her golden keys. "Open: Gate of the Bovine Palace: Taur-"

The Celestial Wizard was interrupted when she heard a loud music being played. Wendy wondered why she was stopping when she turned to the source of the music. Still seated on the pew, Lust played her black flute. Her eyes gleamed with deviousness as she stared at Lucy. As soon as she heard the music, Lucy's vision started to blur. "I…I feel…so…sleepy…." Her keys dropped from her hands before she collapsed to the ground, sleeping like a kitten.

"Lucy!" Wendy went to her friend's side and tried to shake her. "What's wrong? Wake up!"

Lust's voice came from behind her. "Oh don't worry about her. She's only in a temporary sleep, that's all. It's a good thing she's so pretty." Wendy spun around to see that Lust was at her back. "I like pretty girls." Lust frowned when she looked at Wendy. "I don't like children, however. Too needy. I'll have to make"

Wendy took a deep breath. "Sky Dragon's Ro-"

The tiny girl was interrupted when Lust grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up with surprising ease. "Time to go to bed, my dear…."

"WENDY!" Erza screamed when she saw Lust hurl the girl out a broken window. She charged at the wicked horned demon with fury. "You witch!" Her clothes began to change as she transformed into her Knight Armor. She was almost done changing when Pride slashed her from behind. "Gahh!" she cried out before coughing up blood, hitting the floor.

Wrath walked over to Pride, who flicked the blood off his sword. "These are Wizards? What a waste." Behind him lay Natsu, who was lying in the crater while in sheer agony.

Pride merely smiled before sheathing his sword. "Was there ever anyone who could stand against all seven of us, Wrath?" He turned around and gestured to the door. "Come. It's a brave new world. Let us go and see what we've missed while we were sealed away."

"But Pride!" Lust insisted, standing over a sleeping Lucy. "Can't I take my new toy with me?" she pleaded.

A low chuckled came from Pride, who looked down at Lucy's lovely face. "As much as I would love to watch you toy with her, we've things to do. We'll get back to them later," he pointed to the fallen Natsu's brand. "It looks like these children hail from the same Wizard guild. I'm certain we'll see them again soon."

"Oh fine!" Lust pouted. Leaning down, she kissed Lucy's temple before tracing her jaw. "Just you wait, my dear. We're gonna have such fun…" she giggled before leaving Lucy lying on the floor.

Sloth, Gluttony and Greed, the three who had not joined in the battle, all followed Pride and the others out of the cathedral, leaving the defeated Wizards where they lay. As soon as they left, Jango, who'd been hiding the entire time, bolted out the door. He left Lucy's keys where they lay. He wasn't interested in the Celestial Spirit Wizard's keys anymore. Jango had found something a bit more interesting….

Peeking from behind the pillar, Bartolomeo saw that the coast was clear and darted out to where the fallen Wizards lay. He first turned his attention to the block of ice that was Gray. "Poor young man…" he said sadly. As he turned around to check on Lucy, however, he saw Natsu rise to his feet. "What are you doing?" He rushed to the young man's side. "You're injured. You must keep still!" he insisted. "I'll fetch the order's healers and-"

"No," Natsu said, ignoring the pain of his shattered ribs. "My friends…come first." Reaching Gray, he held up a flaming hand, putting it on Gray's frozen head. "My friend, Wendy. Please make sure she's okay," he asked, coughing up blood while keeping his free hand on his injured side.

Bartolomeo was impressed by Natsu's strength of will; he'd never seen someone take such a beating and yet place his friend's wellbeing above his own. "Very well. I'll find her. She should have landed in the gardens." With that, the monk left.

Right after the monk had left, Erza rose to her feet. "Natsu…you shouldn't be moving," she said, ignoring the pain in her back.

"Gray needs to be thawed out," Natsu said. No sooner did he say that did the ice began to melt. In a matter of seconds, Gray was freed from his icy tomb. The Ice Maker Wizard collapsed to his knees as he was freed. "Gray, you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay!" Gray gasped, shivering from the cold. "She…she just froze me with my own magic!"

Gray's shout woke up Lucy, who sat up and yawned. "What happened?" she mumbled.

Bartolomeo returned to the group, carrying Wendy in his arms. "Is she alright, sir?" Erza asked.

"She's fine," Bartolomeo said, "She landed in the tulip field. She's just unconscious. The better question is: are YOU alright?" As he handed Wendy to Lucy he took a look at Erza's back. "I know you're a tough lady, miss, but that's a bad wound."

"I'm fine, sir. Wendy can heal me when she wakes up. But for now…" her eyes narrowed and her hands balled into fists. "We've got bigger things to worry about."

"One thing is for sure," Gray said. "If these guys are that strong then we need help."

 _ **Later….  
**_ **Magnolia; Fairy Tail Guildhall**

"I see…" Makarov said as he listened to the group's story. After Wendy had healed everyone, the five had returned to their guild with Bartolomeo in order to rally the guild together. All of the guild's strongest fighters had assembled. Cana, Juvia, Elfman, Mirajane, Gajeel, Levy, Laxus and the Thundergod Tribe as well as Loki from the Celestial Spirit World were all present. Only Gildarts was absent from the meeting since nobody could get in touch with him. "Well, looks like you've stepped into something nasty this time, Natsu…."

"Hey, how was I supposed to know that there were demons sealed away?" Natsu retorted.

Makarov turned his attention to the monk. "Tell us, sir, who are these Seven Deadly Sins? Why were they sealed beneath your monastery?"

Sitting on his stool, the old man nodded. "As you wish. But please, call me Bartolomeo. Or Bart for short. As I told your young wards I am the Grandmaster of the Order of Yggdrasil."

"Order of the World Tree," Levy said. "You're a group that believes in the multiverse theory, aren't you?"

Bartolomeo nodded. "Yes. And unfortunately it is the World Tree which is where this insanity begins…."

"We believe that our world is but one of many. Countless worlds, all connected like branches on a tree. We call this tree Yggdrasil, the World Tree. More than that, some of our order believes that our world is not just a branch but the very root of the tree, the basis of which all worlds are created. Out of that need to prove that idea, many young monks go on a pilgrimage to find the so-called Tree of Life. It is believed that this tree is connected to the World Tree and is the anchor for our world."

"And the Seven Deadly Sins are seven of those monks?" Lucy asked.

Bartolomeo shook his head. "No so, my child. Only two were of the order. The one who commands the seven and is the one who is the progenitor for all of this is the one we call Pride. He set out to find the Tree of Life many years ago. He was my brother in the order and a dear friend. He believed that proving that the World Tree existed would mean the beginning of a new age for man; it was his desire to seek new worlds that fed his ambition. He set out, alone, one summer day. I had thought that he would merely travel for a month or so before returning." Bartolomeo merely hung his head. "We were wrong."

"How did he become a demon?" Gajeel asked.

"The man we called Pride traveled for three years. He scoured the globe for the tree and chased every single lead he could find. Finally, at the end of those three years, he found it."

All of the wizards stared at the old monk. "He found the Tree of Life?" Makarov gasped, only to stare in confusion when Bartolomeo shook his head.

"No." Bartolomeo looked up with sad, tear-filled eyes. "He found its opposite: The Tree of Sin."

"I don't get it?" Natsu asked, a question mark hanging over his head.

Bartolomeo explained. "Child, understand this. For every great power in the universe, there is an opposite force that keeps it in check. Sword has shield. Fire has ice. Land has the ocean. And the opposite of creation is destruction. We believe that he discovered the Tree of Life's antithesis: The Tree of Sin. He must've been overjoyed to have found what he thought was his life's goal that he ate one of the apples that the Tree of Sin bears. Those who eat the Apples of Sin…well…" he hung his head and sighed. "You saw the result. He became consumed by his ambition and corrupted by the fruit. The end result was him becoming the Sin of Pride. After becoming a demon, he set out and gather companions, tempting them with the apples he'd gathered from the tree. By the time we'd learned of his dark fate, he'd assembled what we came to know as the Seven Deadly Sins. And as you five saw, they are formidable."

"I'll say…" Lucy said, shivering from the frightful power the seven showed. "We didn't even fight all seven and we were still beaten!"

"Yes, and none of them were even going all out," Erza noted. "I don't think we were even an afterthought for them."

"What should we do, old man?" Laxus asked his grandfather. "If they could beat Erza and Natsu, we might be in trouble here."

Makarov nodded. "I'll send word to the other guilds. We're not going to face these demons alone. Bartolomeo, how did you stop them last time?"

"We baited Pride with the rumor that the Tree of Life was actually beneath the order's monastery the entire time. Pride had never stopped seeking the Tree of Life; I believe his intention now is to corrupt it and corrupt the World Tree altogether, damning all creation. We tricked him and his ilk and when they had entered the cathedral we used our order's strongest magical seal to put them away. For sixty-five years that seal has held. Now…" Bartolomeo looked down at the floor in despair. "We cannot seal them a second time. Pride will not fall for the same trick twice. And even if we could lure them back none in our order has the ability to reciprocate such a powerful seal anymore. That knowledge died with the old generation."

"So what's the plan then?" Natsu asked.

"It's just like the Oracion Seis," Erza said. "They're too strong as a group. But individually we may have be able to overcome them."

"Agreed," Makarov nodded. "I should think that it is best for everyone to remain here at the guildhall until we have a plan of attack. Bartolomeo, is there any way you might be able to help us?" he asked the elderly monk.

"I shall return to Silva and scour the order's tomes for any information I can find. If I discover something, I'll relay it to you." Standing up, Bartolomeo bowed to the Fairy Tail wizards. "Thakn you, Fairy Tail. Please forgive me for leaving you with such a monumental task…."

"Do not worry, Bart," Natsu said with a grin. "We can take them!"

"YEAH!" the guild shouted.

Bartolomeo was shocked at the guild's cheerfulness. He'd heard that the Wizard guild was lively but they put the rumors to shame. Donning his hood, Bartolomeo exited the guild, taking the road back to his town.

As soon as Bartolomeo left, Makarov addressed his fellow Wizards. "First things first. Mira, send word to the other guilds and inform them of the situation. Levy, find out as much as you can on these demons. Erza…."

The rest of the day was spent on Fairy Tail's plans on how to combat the seven demons, unaware that the seven were already planning on coming to them….

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Order of Yggdrasil Monastery**

' _Something's wrong…'_ Bartolomeo thought as he rode his horse up the path to the monastery. ' _It's sundown. Why isn't the bell ringing?'_ Dread gripped him as he rode onward. His next red flag came when he saw that the doors to the monastery were hanging open. ' _Where is everybody? Have they all fled?'_ He immediately shook his head. ' _No. Many of the others would never abandon the order.'_

Reaching into his robe he drew a small silver dagger. Putting one foot in front of the other he slowly stepped into the monastery. The fading light of the setting sun gave the dark halls an eerie vibe as he quietly crept into his home. Silence filled the air as Bartolomeo walked onward, keeping his hand close to his silver necklace of Yggdrasil. When he neared the order's mess hall, he heard something that chilled him to the bone.

It was a loud sound, like someone digging into a plate of meat.

Seeing light coming from the cracked door, Bartolomeo slowly opened it, only to gap in horror at the sight before him.

Bodies filled the room. A large pile of corpses sat next a person who was eating at his spot at the head of the large table. To Bartolomeo's undying horror, he saw that what the person was eating was a human heart. "Oh god…" he murmured in horror.

Looking up from his meal, Gluttony gave Bartolomeo an evil smile, blood and bits of meat spilling down his chin and onto his stained robes. "Why hello there, Bartolomeo, my old friend…."

"Care to join me for a bite to eat?"

To be continued….


	3. The FIrst of Seven

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

 _Chapter Three: The First of Seven_

 _ **Several Days Later….  
**_ **Castle Molkihar**

The sun was unable to shine its bright beams through the black clouds hanging overhead which left the castle in the mountainside shrouded in darkness. The castle was old and abandoned, the type often seen in old horror stories. It was a relic of a bygone time, long forgotten by modern men. Part of the castle was demolished and hung open, like a gaping, festering wound. Most of the walls were covered with greenery that looked sick and twisted from the lack of sunlight.

Pride thought it was perfect.

The tower he was residing in had a huge hole in the wall and the roof barely held. The shining knight looked out on the world before him and smiled. He'd missed sights like this while trapped away beneath his former order's monastery. Sights like this reminded him of what the world really was: twisted and depraved.

The demon didn't bother turning his head when he heard footsteps behind him coming up the stairs. The hulking figure of Wrath thundered into the room. "Pride," Wrath addressed.

"Hello, Wrath. Have the others returned?"

"Yes. Although Sloth never left; I found him right where we left him when we departed." Beneath his hood, Wrath bristled with disgust. "There's no discipline in that one at all. Are we sure we're not better off without him?" he asked, the urge to run his blade through the lanky man almost unbearable.

"You're permitted to try," Pride replied, not even turning around to face the massive man. "I doubt you'll get far." Pride turned around and gave Wrath a smile that chilled the demon. "Come. Let us join our brethren."

Walking down the stairs, Pride and Wrath walked until they made it to the castle's audience chamber. Like the rest of the castle it was dilapidated and in ruins. The ceiling hung open and multiple columns were overturned. The once ornate furniture that had littered the hall was now splintered or rotted. Pride sat down on what once used to be a tall throne, now just a creaking chair. "I trust you were all successful?" he asked his companions.

"Yessss…" Lust slurred, laying on her back on one of the upturned columns. "I got such juicy information out of some very willing people."

Laughter came from Gluttony, who was sitting on his throne of bones. "And you didn't bring me any snacks with you? Such a shame, Lust…" the demonic monk taunted.

"Pride," Greed addressed, standing beneath the hole in the ceiling. "It seems that the guilds have a much more prominent influence than they did in our day. They no longer feud with themselves and act with much more harmony."

"I see. So things have calmed down a bit since we were sealed away?" Pride asked, only to shift his gaze to Envy when the little girl, crouched at Gluttony's feet, shook her head. "What have you to report, Envy?"

The girl spoke in her soft, tiny voice. "Fairy Tail." She held up several newspapers and pointed to the guild's symbol. "The Wizards we fought before. It seems they're the cause of much commotion." Getting up, she walked over to Pride and handed him the newspaper.

Pride looked at the newspapers and quickly digested the information. "I see…so these Fairy Tail wizards are that talented…" he said, reading about how they won the Grand Magic Games and defeated several Dark Guilds.

A snort came from Wrath, who was leaning up against a wall. "Those children? They didn't seem like much."

"Calm yourself, Wrath," Pride advised. "I could tell that they weren't fighting at their strongest, just like we were. Still, these guilds…" he read the names out loud. "Fairy Tail. Sabretooth. Blue Pegasus. Lamia Scale. Mermaid Heel."

"How does a mermaid have heels?" Lust asked out of nowhere.

Tossing the papers aside, Pride stood up out of his chair. "How does a fairy have a tail?" he asked in return. "It matters little. Where is Sloth?"

Envy turned and pointed to a corner. "Sleeping." Sloth was lying on an old, moth-eaten couch, his chains gently clinking as he rolled over.

"Hmmm… we should let him rest," Pride said. He turned back to the other five and smiled. "These guilds. They have swept away all who've tried to change the world. Let us show them the error of that." He reached down and held up a newspaper. "Starting with Fairy Tail." The paper erupted in flame and incinerated the Fairy Tail symbol. "Envy."

The scarred girl looked up, her eyes shining in the dark chamber like yellow fireflies. "Yes?"

"Start with the five we encountered. Then begin purging these fairies. Gluttony," he looked up at his fellow monk. "What of the Order of Yggdrasil?"

The man leaned back against his throne and patted his bulging belly. "They will no longer be a concern," he grinned, his teeth stained red.

Pride's lips formed a slim smile. "Excellent. There will be no sealing us this time. Greed," he turned to the shaman. "Continue searching for the Tree of Life."

The man scowled and pounded his staff into the cracked stone floor. "The Tree again? Why bother with that fantasy? I would rather have this world and keep it for myself!"

Pride shook his head. "That is false. The Tree exists. The Tree of Sin proves its existence. And besides…" his grin turned evil as he looked out the window, at the world that was oblivious to the threat of the seven. "Why settle for one world? If we find the Tree of Life, we can have all of the worlds to conquer…."

Greed let the words sink in before grinning in response. "All the worlds, you say? I like the sounds of that." Turning around, the shaman walked out of the room, his bejeweled staff clinking with each step.

Turning to the remaining demons, Pride delivered their orders. "Wrath, go and crush the lesser guilds. The calves won't send a big enough message. We must show them that nobody can stand against us."

Nodding, Wrath reached for his blade and shouldered it. "With pleasure."

As Wrath thundered out of the room, Pride turned to the remaining three demons. "The rest of you may do as you please for now."

"I always do," Lust chuckled. Pride, Envy and Gluttony watched as the horned demon vanished into black smoke. The cloud of demonic essence floated up and flew out of the room, her laughter echoing throughout the room.

"She's such a handful," Gluttony said. "What about Sloth?"

"Let him sleep. It would be better for us all to not wake him," Pride advised.

"It's a good thing he's asleep," Envy said as she began to walk, "He's far too cranky when someone wakes him from his nap…."

Pride agreed. As Envy walked out of the castle, he sat down on his broken throne and smiled. "And now we wait…."

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Town of Magnolia**

Lucy walked up to the steps of her house and looked up at the sky. Despite their efforts the guild had made no progress in identifying the Seven Deadly Sins' whereabouts. Gajeel, Elfman and Cana had all left to go rally the other guilds, leaving the rest of the guild to prepare for their inevitable fight.

She reached to pull out the keys to her apartment when she noticed something that chilled her: the door was cracked open.

She quickly drew her Celestial Spirit keys and slowly pushed the door open. Against her better judgement, she tiptoed into the house as quietly as possible. "He-hello?" she called out. Hearing a sound coming from her bedroom, the blonde gulped. She knew it wasn't Natsu and the others. They would make their presence known immediately as soon as she walked into the place.

Creeping upstairs, she crept up to her room. The door was open and she could see a light on. Then she heard it…

Laughter.

Sneaking up to the doorframe she peeked into the room and paled, her heart turning to ice. Sitting on her bed was Envy, the demon playing with some of Lucy's old dolls. Lucy clamped a hand to her mouth and tried to back away. ' _Why is she at my place?! I got to get out of here and get Erza and Natsu!'_ As quickly as she could, she turned around.

Lucy couldn't fight back the shriek when she saw Envy standing right behind her, her sickly yellow eyes staring up at her. The scarred girl held up the doll and smiled.

"Wanna play with me?"

To be continued


	4. Origin of Sin: Envy

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

 _Chapter Four: Origin of Sin: Envy_

 _ **For the moment, let us stop the clock and instead turn around to a time many, many years ago…**_

A woman was busy reading in her garden, taking a break from her day-to-day routines with a nice novel. She turned her head to see a bird bathing in the stone birdbath, smiling at the lovely song it was singing. Behind her was the sprawling house that she and her family lived in.

The woman's name was Maria Amethyst, who was a renowned Wizard. She had been a prominent member of a guild before retiring to raise a family. Her name came from the Crystal Magic that she wielded in her youth. It was a talent that was passed on to her three children.

Or rather, two of them.

Maria looked up from her book when she heard the sound of a child's sobbing. Leaping to her feet, she walked into the garden and searched for the source of the crying. Walking past a rose bush, she saw a young girl crouched behind it, her face buried in her knees. Kneeling down, Maria put a hand on her daughter. "Camilla, what is the matter?" she asked.

Sniffling, the child looked up at her mother with her bright purple eyes. Her pretty face was red as she cried rivers down her eyes. "Mama! Marisha and Penelope were picking on me again!" she cried. Maria could see that her clothes were covered in red and blue dust. "I just wanted to play!" she cried out before her mother wrapped her arms around her.

As Camilla cried into her shoulder, Maria sighed in exasperation. Unlike her sisters, Camilla didn't possess any magical ability, leaving her to be ostracized by her fellow sisters. Sadly, it wasn't just her sisters that were cruel to her. Her father, in their private moments, would often lament how disappointing Camilla turned out to be and the rest of their extended family followed suit. Aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins treated her poorly compared to her talented sisters. Had it not been for her mother, Camilla would be all alone in a sea of resentment.

Picking her daughter up, Maria carried her back towards her chair. Sitting down, Maria ran her hand soothingly through her daughter's jet-black hair, the one thing she inherited from her mother. "There, there, Camilla. Mama's got you…" she whispered.

Soon Camilla had stopped crying and looked up at her mother with pain-filled eyes. "Mama…it's not fair. I'm just the same as my sisters but still…" she resumed burying her head in her mother shoulders before crying. "It's not fair! I want to use magic too! I want to be happy!"

"Shhhh…" Maria cooed, calming her daughter down. "Camilla, you don't need magic to have a happy life." Wiping the tears from her eyes, Maria smiled lovingly at her child. "The only thing you ever need to live happy is a kind heart."

"B-but…" Camilla choked, feeling the dust on her skin.

Standing up, Maria carried her daughter into the house. The sounds of servants clamoring about filled the mansion while she carried her up the stairs. "Magic isn't everything. You'll learn as you get older that talent comes in different forms. Whatever yours is, Camilla, it will be just as beautiful."

Pacified by her mother's calming words, Camilla's tears stopped. Once they reached her room, Maria set her child down and patted her head. "Why don't we play with your dolls some more?" she said, pointing to the dolls on her daughter's bed. She knew how much her daughter loved her dolls.

Camilla's smile made Maria believe that everything was going to be alright. They sat on the bed and started to play, neither noticing the twin pairs of eyes staring at them from the cracked door….

 _ **Sometime later….**_

The three children stood together as their parents walked over to them. Their father walked past them, heading for the coach ready to transport them away. Stopping in front of her daughters, Maria looked down and smiled. "Now behave yourselves, girls. We'll be gone for a week. In the meantime, mind your manners." Turning to Penelope and Marisha, her lips formed a small frown. "Girls, no magic while we're gone."

Penelope, a girl with short, blond hair and emerald eyes, pouted in frustration. "But Mama! That's not fair! Marisha and I have been working really hard!" She gave a scathing glance towards Camilla, who stared at the floor.

"When it comes to magic, part of that discipline is restraint," Maria advised. "It's not something you go flinging about at a moment's notice." Patting her twin daughters heads, she smiled, "Be nice to each other, okay?"

"Yes, Mama…" both twins said, though neither of them looked her in the eye.

Turning to Camilla, Maria knelt down and kissed her head. "Be good, Camilla."

The girl wrapped her arms around her mother and hugged her. "Yes, Mama…."

The three girls watched as their mother joined their father in the carriage and departed. Camilla turned to her sisters and cringed when they saw the angry looks on their faces. "Penelope…Marisha…" she started.

"Just go away!" Penelope shouted, not caring if anyone heard her. Storming off, Penelope exited the room, Marisha giving her sister another angry glare before taking off. Sighing, Camilla decided to head for the garden. One of her favorite pastimes was tending to her mother's tulip beds.

The breeze was cool later that day as Camilla knelt in the dirt, removing the weeds from the tulip bed. Despite being only eleven years old, the girl was a happy gardener, her talent in caring for greenery surpassing her sisters.

"Hey, Camilla…."

Turning around, Camilla saw Marisha walking over to her. The girl, whose hair was long and black like Camilla's, smiled a friendly smile while standing behind Camilla. "Penelope and I wanted to know if you wanted to play with us?" she asked. She held up a doll and wiggled it in front of her. "We know how much you like playing with dolls."

Camilla's eyes lit up. It'd been so long since she'd played with her sisters. Once their father had started tutoring them in magic, they had lost all interest in "playing with dolls", unlike Camilla. Nodding happily, she leapt up to her feet.

Chuckling, Marisha took her sister's hand and led her away from the garden. But Camilla was confused when they walked around the house to the back of it, hidden by some thorny bushes. "Marisha, I thought you said we would play?" she asked, wondering if this was another of their sisters' displays of magic in order to taunt and bully her.

"Oh, we'll be playing…" Marisha's eyes lit up with jealous anger, her lips forming an ugly grin. "Playing with you, you little witch!" Dropping the façade, Marisha struck her younger sister.

"Kya!" Camilla cried out as she hit the ground. Hearing rusting from the bushes, she saw Penelope emerge, the same evil look on her face as well. "What are you doing?"

"You no-talent, worthless brat!" Penelope spat. "You've been trying to steal Mama's affections all for yourself!" she accused. Both she and Marisha had noted how much time Camilla was spending with their mother and had come to the assumption that in her jealousy Camilla was trying to steal her away from them. "You, with your stupid purple eyes and your flawless face!"

Camilla felt fear grip her as Penelope held up a hand, shards of red crystals emerging from thin air. "Pen…Penelope…" she whispered. To her horror Marisha summoned her blue crystals, each small and triangular, like arrowheads. And they were all pointing at Camilla's face.

"Well, let's see how much Mama loves you when you're so ugly she can't even look at you!" the evil sister taunted.

"No!" Camilla screamed. She tried to stand but Marisha kept her rooted to the ground by encasing her legs in crystals. Tears ran down her face when the two girls pointed their crystal shards at her.

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

 _ **Three Days later….**_

Camilla opened her eyes, the stinging pain the first thing she felt as she regained consciousness. Sitting up, she felt the weight of the bandages on her face.

A hand touched her shoulder, making her cringe. She looked up to see their family's butler and caretaker standing next to her. "Lady Camilla, thank goodness."

The butler told her that her sisters had found her like that after hearing her scream. Penelope had told the staff that Camilla had wandered off and had gotten caught in the bushes, her injuries belonging to the sharp thorns.

Camilla knew better than to tell the butler the truth. She knew that, like her family, the members of the household adored her sisters and knew they wouldn't believe her words. No doubt her sisters were busy telling her about what a clumsy oaf she was to let herself to be injured like that. To make matters worse, the butler informed her that the damage to her face was severe and that despite the doctor's best efforts, she would remain scarred for life.

Tears began to fall as she got out of bed. Her hands reached for the bandages and removed them. She could barely recognize herself as she stared in the mirror. The deep, horrid scars had destroyed her beauty. Only her purple eyes let her know she was staring at Camilla Amethyst.

"What a shame…."

She didn't even need to turn around to know that Penelope was standing in the doorway. "I wonder what Mama will think when she sees your horrid face. Maybe she'll do what father suggested and send you away." Walking into the room, Penelope leaned forward and whispered into her sister's ear. "Oh, and if you tell Mama or Papa where those scars really came from, Marisha and I will give you plenty more…" she threatened. "I'd start packing now if I were you…ugly," the girl taunted before walking out of the room.

Camilla stared at the mirror's reflection before wailing in agony, knocking the mirror to the ground. Ignoring the broken mirror, Camilla ran out of the room and into the garden. "Why?!" she sobbed as she knelt by the fountain, looking at her horrible image. "What did I do to deserve this?" Burying her face in her hands, she wept and wished that her mother was here to console her. "I wish I had magic! I'd make them pay! It's not fair! IT'S NOT FAIR!" she shouted at the world.

And then the world spoke back.

"Then why not make it fair?"

Looking up, Camilla saw a knight standing before her, his golden armor shimmering in the bright sun. "Who…who are you?" she asked, sniffling as she stared up at the knight's handsome face. The man offered the girl his hand and he helped her up. "Why are you here?"

"Whatever is the matter, my dear?" the man asked, not looking at the girl's scars but at her pained eyes. In truly chivalrous fashion he offered her his handkerchief. "Here, dry your eyes. Pretty girls like you shouldn't cry."

Wiping her eyes, Camilla shook her head. "I'm not pretty…my sisters made me ugly! I hate them!"

Kneeling down, the knight looked the young girl up and down before smiling. "I see. They have magic and you don't."

"Uh huh…"

Reaching into the sack he was carrying, the man revealed a shiny red apple. "Why don't we fix that, my dear?"

"With an apple?" Camilla asked, confused.

He held the apple out to her. "Eat this and you will never again have to be powerless before your sisters."

Taking the apple, Camilla looked at it. The fruit looked exquisite, like it had been just picked. More than that, Camilla could feel something compelling about it, as if there was a voice in her head telling her to eat it. With shaking hands, she lifted the apple to her lips. The shining knight grinned when he heard the satisfying crunch of her bite, followed by the swallow.

Before she could even blink, Camilla felt something within her pulse, as if something within her had been awakened. And it didn't feel good. "What…what was that apple?" she gasped, dropping the fruit. But it had been too late to back away now; Camilla's soul had now been tainted by sin. Her body stiffened and her neck snapped forward. The knight watched as Camilla's fair skin paled and her beautiful purple eyes became poisoned with murky yellow. In the span of several minutes, Camilla was no more.

Envy had been born….

 _ **Two days later….**_

Maria hurried on horseback, praying that her children were alright. She'd received no word from the manor and had decided to return quickly against her husband's wishes. She'd been informed of Camilla's accident and knew that her sisters played a hand in it, but her husband had told her they'd deal with them when they returned. Still, she knew her husband's punishment would be too lenient.

Her heart trembled when she saw the smoke. Cresting a hill, her eyes widened in horror when she saw that her home was in flames. "Penelope! Marisha! Camilla!" Praying that her daughters were still alive, Maria spurred her horse onward.

The flames were blazing out of control when Maria approached her home. "GIRLS!" she screamed, trying to brave the inferno in front of her. "Penelope! Marisha! Camilla! Girls! Where are you?!" she shouted, hoping that her daughters would answer her. "Where is everyone?" she said, not seeing anyone trying to put out the fires. Turning towards the garden, she grabbed a fallen bucket and ran for the fountain. She made it three steps into the garden before she dropped the bucket and screamed in horror.

Penelope and Marisha lay on the ground dead, their bodies impaled with red and blue crystals through their hearts. "NO! MY CHILDREN!" she screamed, the grieving mother running towards her daughters. Scooping them up, Maria cradled her dead children, unable to believe this was happening. "Camilla…where's Camilla?" she said while looking around.

"Mama…."

Whirling around, Maria saw her daughter standing in a burning archway, the burning house behind her making her yellow eyes glint evilly. "C-Camilla?" Maria gasped, unable to believe what she was seeing. "What have you done?"

Giggling, Envy held up a hand. In an instant, a doll made out of purple crystal appeared in the shape of her sister, Penelope. "I wanted to play with them, just like they played with me. Too bad they weren't good at playing…" she said.

Rising to her feet, Maria held out her hand to subdue Envy. She had no idea what had happened to Camilla but she had to stop her somehow. "Crystal stasis!" she shouted, intending to trap her daughter in crystal until she could reverse whatever it was that happened to her. When nothing happened, she looked at her hand before realizing she had no magic within her at all. "What? Camilla, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" she shouted, horrified at the look in her daughter's eyes.

"What's the matter, Mama?" Envy said as she slowly walked towards her mother. "I finally have magic. Your magic…." She held up her hand and a purple figured of Maria appeared. "Would you like to play with my new dolls, Mama?"

"Camilla…"Maria backed away, only to stumble and fall. "Camilla, don't!" she pleaded as her daughter stood over her.

"NOOOOOOO!"

To be continued

 **A.N.: Good lord, that turned out darker than what I thought it would be….**


	5. Putrid Eyes

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

 _Chapter Five: Putrid Eyes_

 _ **Back to where we left off….  
**_ **Magnolia; Outside the Fairy Tail Guildhall**

Natsu and Gray walked together as they left the guild. The two had been itching for a fight but with no leads on the Seven Deadly Sins they were now starting to get irritated. Natsu would occasionally glance to Gray and noticed him looking down at his hand and flexing it. "You okay, Gray?" he asked. It was pretty clear from the look on the Ice Wizard's face that something was troubling him.

"Back at the monastery, when we got attacked by the seven…" he shivered as he remembered that crushing defeat, "Whatever those guys did to me, if felt weird. I couldn't use my magic at all."

"So?" Natsu asked, arms behind his head. "So what?"

Flying beside them, Happy scowled down at his best friend. "Natsu! Isn't it obvious? One of them stole Gray's magic. I bet it was the one named Greed."

"That's not it," Gray said, looking back up at Natsu and Happy. "It was the girl with the scars. When she took my magic, it felt…"

"What?" Natsu asked, coming to a stop.

Gray looked at his hand again and frowned. "I felt like I never had magic to begin with. It was like she made me just a regular guy."

"Well," Natsu cracked his knuckles and grinned, "I don't care if she is a little brat, she'll pay for messing with Fairy Tai-"

Both Happy and Gray stared at Natsu as he suddenly swirled around, sniffing the air. "What is it, Natsu?!" Happy asked frantically. The look on Natsu's face told the two everything they needed to know.

"I smell blood." Natsu sniffed the air again and his eyes widened in horror. "Lucy!"

 _ **Meanwhile….**_ **  
Lucy's House**

Lucy could barely feel her heartbeat as she stared down at the demon before her. "H-hi?" she muttered, slowly backing up.

Envy held up the doll in her hands. "Wanna play?" she asked, giving Lucy a smile that would have been cute, but the scars and her evil, yellow eyes gave her a terrifying appearance. "I don't have anyone to play with."

Sweat rolled down the side of Lucy's face. The last time she was face-to-face to face with this demon, the little girl froze Gray with his own magic. ' _If she's envy…then can she take a person's magic?'_ she quickly thought. ' _Does it work with Holder Magic like mine?'_

Lucy took the doll from Envy with her shaking hands and nodded. "O-okay…" she said as Envy walked past her and entered her bedroom. She watched as the little girl in the black dressed hopped up onto her bed and resumed playing with her dolls. "So…what's your name?" she asked with chattering teeth, sitting on the edge of the bed. Her eyes darted to her ring of keys sitting on the nightstand just a few feet away. ' _If I can get to my keys…maybe I can beat her with Taurus or escape with Aries….'_

"Envy," the girl identified, holding two dolls together. "That's what Pride called me. I had a name before, but I don't remember it," she said in a low monotone voice. She looked up at Lucy with her sickly yellow eyes, making the girl fight back a cringe. Looking at Envy was like looking at a literal plague. Setting down the doll, Envy looked Lucy up and down. "You're pretty…" she said softly.

"Th-thanks…" Lucy said, afraid of the look in her eyes. "Um…you're pretty too."

The girl gave a terrifying smile. "That's what my sisters said…before I killed them." Her eyes narrowed and her yellow eyes pulsed. "You remind me of my Mama…you're so pretty and kind…" she said while sliding off the bed. "I hate pretty things."

Lucy felt the ominous shift in the room and leapt off the bed, reaching for her keys. As soon as she grabbed them she turned around to see that Envy hadn't moved an inch. Fear clenched her heart as she pointed a golden key at the demon. "Open! Gate of the Golden Ram: Aries!" she shouted.

But nothing happened.

"What?" Lucy looked at her key before looking at her free hand. She didn't feel that underlying hum of power within her, the fuel for her magic. "What's going on?"

"You've pretty keys…."

Envy started to stalk towards the frightened Lucy, the look on her face enough to drive fear into the bravest of warriors. Lucy backed away from the girl until her back hit the closed window, leaving her with nowhere to run. When Envy held up her hand, Lucy gasped in surprise. "How'd you get my keys?" she demanded, realizing that her weapons had been mysteriously snagged.

Envy ignored Lucy and inspected the gatekeys. "Wow…they're so pretty, just like Greed's…" she looked up and glared at the terrified blonde. "I'm so jealous. Everyone has such pretty magic. But not me. Envy doesn't get to play with magic. She gets laughed at while she plays with stupid dolls! Well…" Envy gripped one of Lucy's keys and pointed it at her. "I'm laughing now."

When a logical thought crept into Lucy's mind, her nerve became enforced with steel. "Don't bother," she said defiantly. "You don't have a contract with any of my spirits. Even if you summoned them, they won't obey you."

Silence filled the room as Envy stared at Lucy, her eyes pulsing yellow. "You know, I take it back…you aren't pretty," the girl said, narrowing her eyes, "You're as ugly as my sisters. Open: Gate of the Centaur: Sagittarius "

A burst of smoke later and the Celestial Spirit in horse cosplay appeared. Lucy opened her mouth to try and order Sagittarius to attack Envy but paled when she saw the Spirit's eyes.

Sagittarius's eyes were a sickly yellow.

"Kill her," Envy commanded. "And make it hurt."

"Sagitarrius!" Lucy screamed as the archer drew his bow back. "Don't!" But her words fell on deaf ears. It was only by a hair that Lucy dodged his point-blank arrow, the window shattering behind her.

Taking her chance, Lucy dove out the window, rolling onto the street as she hit the ground. She winced as pain erupted from her shoulder. Reaching with her left hand, she drew it back to see blood covering her hand. Apparently when she dove out the window she cut her shoulder on a piece of glass.

Lucy didn't have a moment to spare. She made it to her feet just in time for an arrow to hit the spot she'd landed in. Looking up, she saw Sagitarrius and Envy standing by the window, the Spirit already reaching for another arrow. Cursing herself for having to leave her keys in the hands of her enemy, Lucy sprinted away in the direction of the Fairy Tail guildhall. ' _I gotta find Natsu! Or Erza! Or Master Makarov!'_

She passed by a shop on a street and ducked when she saw something coming right at her in the reflection of a glass at the front of the store. Sagittarius's arrow whizzed past her and shattered the glass to the store. "Dammit!" she cursed, forced to duck into an backstreet when another arrow lodged itself in the bricks near her head.

Lucy ran for her life, dodging arrow after arrow. She saw the streetsigns she passed by and realized what Envy was having Sagittarius do. ' _She's driving me away from the guild! What do I do?'_ she thought as she ran down the street. Thankfully it was nighttime and the streets were emptied of pedestrians who could've been caught in the mad Spirit's crossfire. ' _What do I do?! I can't use magic and even if I could she's got my keys! Someone hel-'_

A scream echoed throughout the silent city when Lucy felt an arrow pierce her ankle, sending her tumbling to the ground. Rolling onto her back, she saw Sagittarius standing a few feet away, another arrow pulled back and aimed at Lucy's head. Beside him stood the evil Envy, whose eyes gleamed with malicious intent.

The little girl grabbed Sagittarius's arm and lowered it a hair. "No, don't kill her. Not yet…" she said with a sadistic smile that made her scarred face even more hideous. "Shoot her in the stomach. Then her arms. Then her other ankle. She's a Wizard." Her eyes locked with Lucy's and the blonde's heart grew cold from the look in her eyes, "I don't show mercy to Wizards."

Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, the pain in her ankle making her mind numb. She braced herself for an arrow to the stomach and flinched when she heard the arrow fire. But when she felt no pain, no sign of being maimed, she opened her eyes cautiously.

There, standing in front of Lucy was Natsu, who'd caught the arrow. "Natsu!" Lucy cried out in joy.

Sagittarius ignored the intruder and drew another arrow, only to find himself a pincushion for ice arrows. "Guh!" the spirit groaned, coughing up blood before beginning to disappear. Before it faded, the yellow glow in his eyes faded and he looked at his mistress with pleading eyes. "Please forgive me, Lucy…."

"Gray!" Lucy cried out as the Ice Maker hopped down from a rooftop, a bow of ice in hand.

"Lucy! Are you alright!" Happy shouted as he flew down.

The girl cringed as the pain in her ankle hit her. "No…my ankle…." She looked up and saw the battle-ready face Natsu had on. "Natsu! Be careful! She can steal a person's magic."

"I know," Natsu said, slamming his fists together. "But that's not going to stop me from kicking her ass!" He pointed a finger at the demon, who was looking at the meddling trio with her usual blank stare. "I don't care if you are just a little kid! You hurt my friend and now I'm gonna pulverize your demon butt!"

As Natsu and Envy stared each other down Gray crouched to Lucy's side and grabbed the arrow lodged in her ankle. "This is gonna hurt, Lucy. Just bear with the pain."

When Gray yanked the arrow out of her, Lucy screamed in pain so loud Happy had to cover his sensitive ears. Luckily, Gray created a cast made out of ice around her foot to stop the bleeding and numb the pain. "Happy, take Lucy back to the guild. Natsu and I can handle her."

"But Gray!" Happy protested, "You heard Lucy, she'll steal your magic again!"

Whipping off his coat, Gray scowled as he looked over at the demon. "Whatever dark magic she's got, she can't steal both of our magic at the same time. That's her Achilles heel." He looked back at Happy and scowled. "Go! Lucy needs your help more than we do right now!"

Happy looked at Gray and then at Natsu, who gave the cat a stern nodded. "Okay, but I'm coming right back to help," Happy said, activating his Aera Magic.

Envy blinked as the talking blue cat grew wings and scooped up the injured Lucy. "Pretty…" she said absentmindedly as she stared at Happy's wings.

When Envy's eyes pulsed, Natsu got a bad feeling. He turned around to see if Happy had gotten away with Lucy. "Oh no!" he shouted when he saw Happy and Lucy in freefall. "Lucy! Happy!" both he and Gray shouted as they ran to save them. Gray caught Lucy and Natsu caught Happy before they could hit the ground. "What happened? What happened to your wings?" Natsu asked.

"I don't know!" Happy said, scared out of his wits. "I was flying one second then the next I was falling like I was attached to a boulder!"

"That better not be another joke about me…" Lucy bristled offhandedly.

"Pretty…."

The group turned to see Envy floating in the middle of the street, Happy's Aera wings on her back. "So pretty," the little girl sighed as she flew.

Anger burned through Natsu as he balled his hands into fists. "How dare you!" he screamed before charging at Envy. "That's Happy's magic! GIVE IT BACK!" he screamed while charging up his flaming fist. "FIRE DRAGON'S…."

Lucy looked over at Envy and saw the girl turn her attention to the charging Natsu. Fear crept into Lucy's heart when she saw Envy's eyes pulse yellow again. "Natsu! DON'T!"

"IRON FIST!"

 _WHAM!_

The three remaining Wizards all gaped in horror as Natsu suddenly went flying, crashing into a brick wall. When they turned back to Envy they were all stunned to see her hand wrapped in fire. "That's Natsu's magic!" Happy shouted, his wings suddenly appearing again. "She's stolen his Dragon Slaying magic!"

"Well, if she wants to fight me with fire…" Gray said, putting his fist into his palm, "I'll show her! Ice Make: Hammer!"

Nothing happened.

It was déjà vu all over again for Gray when he looked up and saw Envy standing two feet away from him, her fist no longer aflame. "You've pretty magic…" she said, her eyes pulsing as she stared up at Gray. "It makes me want it even more…."

"GAHHHH!" Gray screamed as the girl summoned a giant ice hammer and whacked him with it, sending him flying, ice covering his side from where the hammer hit him. Hitting the ground, Gray struggled to his feet, shivering from the cold…and then realized _he was shivering from the cold!_

"What the hell?" Gray asked looking down at his hand again. He didn't feel any magic like before but more than that…"This isn't just stealing magic!" he realized when he touched the spot where the hammer had hit him and felt the sting of the cold ice. "Even if she's stealing it, I shouldn't feel cold." He looked over and saw that Natsu hadn't gotten up from being put through a brick wall and knew something wasn't right. ' _Natsu could take anything and still get back up. He only got hit once and now he's down for the count? What's going on?'_

"Gray! LOOK OUT!" Lucy screamed.

"You keep racking your head for answers when it should be obvious."

Gray looked up to see the pointy end of Cold Excalibur pointed at his face. The little girl smiled as she had Gray at her mercy. "I know how strong you all are. You're wondering why someone as strong as him got knocked down with a single blow. I don't steal just your magic…" Envy's eyes pulsed with a mad, putrid yellow as she looked down upon Gray, "I make you human. A frail, weak and puny human. It makes you jealous, doesn't it?" Envy asked with a childish smirk, "To have such pretty Magic but you can't use it? It makes me so…so…jealous."

"GRAYYYYYY!" Lucy screamed as Envy swung the ice sword down.

 _CLANG!_

Envy blinked when she felt the ice in her hands shatter. She stepped back when a flash of metal came close to slicing her face off. The intruder helped Gray to his feet, her red hair shining in the dark. "You alright, Gray?" Erza asked. She turned her head and saw the gaping hole in the wall. "Natsu! Quit loafing around!"

A hand gripped the side of the hole in the wall and Natsu hopped out, nursing the lump on the side of his head. "Yow! She sure packs a wallop!"

Glad to see her friends were safe, Erza turned her attention to Happy. "Happy, you need to get Lucy out of here. With her ankle like it is, she'll just be target practice for her." She reached into her pocket and tossed Lucy her keys. "Here. I grabbed these when she wasn't looking."

"Thanks, Erza…" Lucy breathed, glad to have her keys back. As Happy once again scooped her up she looked back at the redhead. "Are you sure you'll be okay without us?"

Smiling, Erza nodded before turning her attention back to the demon. "This demon, girl or not, made an enemy of Fairy Tail." Her armor glowed as she requipped into her Heaven's Wheel armor. "I'll make her pay."

Envy ignored the flying cat as he carried Lucy away, her eyes fixed squarely on the Armored Wizard in her mighty armor.

"So pretty…."

To be continued


	6. Camilla's Envy

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

 _Chapter Six: Camilla's Envy_

 **Backstreet of Magnolia**

Erza didn't waste any time in charging the demon in front of her, her swords dancing and spinning around her. "Take this, Demon! Circle Sword!"

"Erza, don't!" Gray shouted as Envy looked at her with her putrid yellow eyes. "She'll just steal your magic!"

Indeed, as Envy's eyes became fixed on Erza, her demonic power went into effect. Erza saw her own armor being donned by the girl and realized she was standing in the street naked. "But how?" she gaped when she saw that all of her swords were gone. "Even if she stole my powers, my physical weapons should still be here." It was then that she looked down at herself and realized she was standing in the street naked. "Oh my god!"

"Here," Gray said as he ran up beside her. He tossed her his coat before charging at the girl himself, having gotten a grasp on her powers. "She can't steal more than one powers." He put his fist into his hand and thankfully felt the cold burst of magic flow through him. "Ice Make: Cold Excalibur!"

A giant sword of ice appeared and Gray slashed at Envy, meaning to bifurcate the demon. The girl merely smiled wickedly before her eyes flickered to the right. She brought up her hand and…sent a blast of fire at him. Gray gasped before summoning an ice shield to defend himself…and then realized that his shield vanished.

Erza summoned another sword and Natsu's fists fired up as they charged at the girl. However, Envy's Magic Stealing power was instantaneous. The three Wizards, the strongest team in Fairy Tail, soon found themselves at a severe disadvantage. Even with their incredible skills, the moment Envy turned her eyes on one of them she would steal their magic, then quickly steal another attacker's magic and retaliate before they realized she'd made a switch of their powers.

Erza caught Natsu as he was sent flying thanks to a wave of ice. "This is bad," she said, sweat running down her face. "We need a new strategy. We're not going to win this by hitting her harder."

"Erza…" Natsu panted, "Do not turn this into a learning moment."

"She's right," Gray said as he jumped back. "We should retreat and get back to the guild."

"Don't bother…."

The three turned to see Envy stalking her way towards them, draped in Erza's armor. "None of you will be leaving here alive. Pride wants all you guild members dead."

Erza's eyes narrowed. "You're targeting the guilds?"

"Yes." Envy came to a stop as she summoned more of Erza's sword, all their sharp points aimed at the helpless three Wizards. "Pride says you guilds keep interfering change in the world. So our first step to finding the Tree of Life is to eliminate anyone who's a threat. Wrath is also on the warpath." She gve the three an evil smile as she finished summoning swords. Two hundred and fifty swords were pointed at Natsu, Erza and Gray. "Be glad it's me killing you and not Wrath. He's the cruel one of the bunch," she said with a mirthless smile.

All three Wizards gulped as the swords lunged at them….

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Fairy Tail Guildhall**

Cana and Mira were standing out outside the guild, waiting on messages from the other guilds. They'd already been informed that Sabretooth and Mermaid Heel were already on their way to meet up with them. However, they'd heard no word yet from Lamia Scale, Quatro Cerberus or Blue Pegasus.

Cana's ears perked up as she listened to the sounds of the quiet town. "Am I the only one who heard that?"

Mirajane frowned. "I did. This isn't good. What if the Seven Deadly Sins are here?" She turned to the busy guildhall which had almost all of the members of Fairy Tail inside. "Lucy and her team are out right now."

"Yeah. We should swing by Lucy's house and-"

"CANA! MIRA!"

The women looked up to see a familiar flying blue cat swoop down, carrying an injured Lucy. "Lucy!" Mirajane shouted as Happy gently set her down. She saw the cast of ice on her foot and the cut on her shoulder and knew she had been in real trouble. "What happened?"

"I'll go get Wendy," Cana said, rushing back into the guildhall.

"It was one of the Seven, Envy!" Happy quickly said. "She took Lucy's magic and attacked her with one of her celestial spirts! Natsu, Gray and Erza are fighting her right now!"

Cana returned with Wendy, Elfman, Levy and Gajeel. The small Dragon Slayer quickly went to work in healing Lucy's leg. "Natsu and the others are fighting?" Elfman asked. "We need to help them!"

"I'm heading back there now, follow me!" Happy said as he took to the air.

"Wait!"

The blue cat turned to see Lucy staring at him with a determined look on her face. "What is it, Lucy?"

"I think I know what her weakness is."

"Gray already figured it out! She can't steal more than one person's magic," Happy pointed out.

"That's not her weakness. She can steal a person's magic the moment she turns her eyes towards somebody. It's so instantaneous I didn't even realized I'd lost my magic." Her brow furrowed as she came to a realization. "But I think I know what her power's Achilles heel is. You need to go and tell Natsu and Erza!"

As soon as Lucy revealed Envy's weakness, Happy took off to help the trio as fast as he could, Elfman and Gajeel not far behind….

Unbeknownst to everyone though, another person was present, hiding in the shadow of a nearby alleyway. "Very clever, cutie," Lust said as her sinful eyes stared at the wounded blonde. "Hmm…what to do about you…."

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Natsu, Erza & Gray Vs. Envy**

"Raahhhhhh!" Natsu shouted as he sent a wave of fire at Envy. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

"Ice Make: Shield."

The pink-haired boy cursed as Envy protected herself with Gray's shield. Erza appeared behind her and swung a sword at her neck, only to jump back when pillars of ice shot out of the ground. "Damn! She's not letting up."

"So weak…" Envy said as she turned her gaze towards Erza, the redhead's magical sword appearing in Envy's hand. "So fragile…that's what you Wizards are."

"Enough!" Natsu shouted as he lunged at Envy again, his fists ablaze. "Fire Dragon's-"

Envy shut up Natsu by hurling Erza's sword at him, the metal blade piercing his shoulder. Natsu cried out in pain as he was nailed to the wall, blood pouring down his shoulder. "Natsu, you idiot!" Gray said as he ran up beside him. "You keep charging in and she's just going to keep hitting you with our magic."

Natsu grimaced as Gray pulled the sword out of his shoulder, staggering as Erza joined them. "This is bad. What do we do?" he asked, afraid of dying at the hands of this little demon. "She's gonna pulverize us!"

Erza scowled as Envy slowly advanced on them, her black dress being replaced once again with her Heaven's Wheel armor. "We need to run. We can't fight her like this. We need to regroup and figure out a-"

"I don't think so."

The three whirled around to see Envy directly behind them, swords in her tiny hands. The three jumped back as she attacked them, the girl keeping the three fighters on their toes.

"How does she keep appearing behind us?!" Erza said, jumping onto a shop rooftop to catch her breath. She watched as Gray summoned a cannon and shot a cannonball of ice at Envy only for the girl to deflect it with Erza's swords. "No child could do that. She's not just absorbing our magic and resistances. She's taking our physical prowess too!"

"Erza!"

The Armored Wizard whirled around to see Happy flying towards her. "Happy! What are you doing back here?" she demanded. "This isn't a safe place for you right now!"

"This isn't a safe place for anyone, Erza," came Envy's voice from behind.

When Happy saw Envy take a swing at Erza he shot towards his friend with all his might. "Maximum Acceleration!" He managed to scoop Erza and take to the air, saving her from a deathblow…before he fell out of the sky as soon as Envy looked at him. "Ahhhh!" both he and Erza screamed before hitting the pavement. Luckily Erza broke his fall and held him in her arms. "Erza!" he shouted as he regained focus.

"Happy, what are you doing here? Where's Lucy?"

"She's with the others. Listen! Lucy's figured out her weakness!"

Meanwhile, Gray was busy avoiding arrows of ice shot towards him, ducking into an alley as Envy chased him. ' _If I can steer her away from the others then maybe I can buy Erza some time to get the others.'_

Natsu saw Gray run off with Envy in hot pursuit and moved to follow him. "What is that idiot doing?!" He started to run but was cut off when Erza stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder. "Erza!"

"Wait, Natsu. I have an idea…."

Gray dodged another attack and ran into an abandoned train yard, hiding behind old, rusted traincars as ice rained death from above. He cursed as a shard of ice pierced his leg, making him stumble and fall to the ground. "Dammit!" he said, feeling the cold hit him. "I had no idea I was this strong!"

Envy appeared from out of nowhere on top of an old train engine, a lance of ice in her hands. She aimed it at Gray and smiled. "Small…weak…helpless…that's what you Wizards are."

"Why do you hate Wizards so much?" Gray shouted, hoping to stall the inevitable.

"You can't imagine what it's like; to be in a home of magic and not being able to do anything. I was lonely…I was hurt…." Envy's putrid eyes burned with sheer malice. "Well, I'm doing the hurting now. I will make every Wizard remember just how small and puny they really are." She hauled back and prepared to throw the lance. "Starting with you."

"Not yet, you're not!"

The two looked up to see Natsu swooping down from above, Happy carrying him with his Aera wings. "You're not hurting my friends any longer! Fire Dragon's-"

"Hmph…" Envy smiled as her gaze turned to Natsu, stealing his Dragon Slayer magic. "Fire Dragon's-"

"NOW!" Natsu shouted.

 _Clang!_

The sound of rusted metal moving screeched across the train yard as Erza whacked the train engine Envy was standing on with a giant hammer, sending it careening down the rusted train tracks. Envy felt a wave of nausea as she suddenly became gripped by motion sickness. She covered her mouth as she threatened to throw up. "I don't feel good!"

"Gray! Blind her! NOW!" Erza shouted.

"Right!" With a wave of his hands, Gray created a band of ice and threw it at Envy. The band wrapped around her head and obscured her vision, keeping her blind and preventing her from stealing magic via sight.

"Get it off," Envy shrieked, trying to pull off the ice covering her eyes while at the same time trying hard not to hurl. She stood up on wobbly legs and again tried to pull the blinders off. Her struggle came to an end when Erza flew up with Happy and she plunged her sword into the demon's chest, piercing her heart.

Envy coughed up blood and staggered, falling off of the train as Erza pulled her sword out of her. The ice on her face crumbled as she hit the ground with a thud, dying.

"Damn it…" the girl groaned, the life draining from her. The three Wizards and Happy cautiously walked towards her, not knowing what other tricks she had up her sleeve. Envy tried to open her mouth to speak but only a gurgle left her lips, death closing in on her. As she lay dying the yellow in her eyes faded, revealing her beautiful violet eyes. ' _I'm scared…'_ the little girl thought as she saw a bright light at the end of a tunnel. ' _Mama, I'm scared….'_

 _"Camilla…"_ came a voice from the light.

' _Mama?'_ Camilla called out, recognizing her name. ' _Mama! I'm so sorry! I-'_

 _"It's alright, Camilla. You can let go now. Your sisters and I have been waiting for you. We can play with your dolls, just like you like.'_

"Mama…" Envy called out with her final breaths, tears running down her face as her tiny body went cold. "Ma…ma…."

The four Fairy Tail wizards stood in silence as the little girl died, a smile on her face. "Well, we won…" Natsu glumly said.

Gray merely shook his head. "Then why doesn't it feel like a victory. She was just a little girl." He knew that they should be happy to have taken the Seven Deadly Sins down a member. But the fact that Envy was just a little girl, no older than Wendy, left a bad taste in his mouth. "How'd you figure out her weakness, Erza?"

"Lucy figured it out. She deduced that she not only steals a person's magic and their strengths, but their weaknesses as well. We should be fortunate that Natsu's power has such a blatant weakness." Erza moved closer to the girl's body and gave a sigh. "We should give her a proper burial. She may have been a demon but she died human. She deserves to be buried with respect. I-"

Erza's quick reflexes were the only thing that saved her and her friends. Sensing something up above, she looked up and saw something coming down on them. The redhead jumped backward, grabbing Natsu and Gray and pulling them away. The three watched in shock as Camilla's body was crushed beneath the attacker's foot, the train yard shaking from the impact.

The three stared up at what had attacker with eyes filled with both confusion and shock. "What…the…hell?" Erza gaped.

"Is that…what I think it is?" Gray asked, not believing what he was seeing.

"Ch-Ch-Chi-" Natsu stammered, his eyes swiveling as he tried to process the image in front of him. Finally, he said what they were all seeing. " _GIANT CHICKEN!"_

To be continued.


	7. Guilds Under Siege

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

 _Chapter Seven: Guilds Under Siege_

 _ **Back to where we left off….**_

"WHAT IS THAT?!" Erza shouted as she avoided a huge stomp by the giant chicken.

"BAKAWWW!" the monstrous poultry shrieked as it stamped down on the Wizards, smashing train cars like they were twigs. Truly it was a monster. In fact, it was a little hard to call it a monster chicken to begin with. Only its head and its feet were that of a chicken. Its body was long and serpentine and large draconic wings flapped on its back.

"Why is there a giant chicken here?!" Gray shouted as he and Natsu dodged another attack.

Jumping up onto a traincar, Erza looked over at the huge chicken-foot shaped hole in the ground, her teeth clenching when she caught a glimpse of Envy's body…or what was left of it. "How cruel…" she said.

"Says the woman who ran a sword through a child," came a voice from atop the giant chicken. The three looked up to see another of the Seven Deadly Sins, Greed, riding atop the giant monster's back. "Poor, poor Envy…and I actually liked her," the shamanic demon said, shaking his head at what remained of the little girl's cadaver.

"How could you?!" Natsu shouted from below. "She's was your comrade and you just crushed her!"

The dark-skinned man raised an eyebrow before shaking his head. "Comrade? Don't make me laugh." He crossed his arms as he stared down at the Dragon Slayer who was shaking in rage. "Don't mistake us for another of your petty little Dark Guilds. None of the Seven considers the other six to be comrades. We are all in this for ourselves. It just so happens that our interests happen to intersect. But before we discuss this further…." He tapped the monster chicken's neck with his staff. "Dinner, Jī."

To the horror of the onlooking Fairy Tail Wizards, the monster chicken turned around and buried its head in the hole where Envy's body laid. Happy had to look away to keep himself from throwing up as the monster ate what was left of Envy's body. Erza's hands balled into fists as she and Greed locked eyes. "You're sick! She's just a little girl!"

"Correction. She's just a little girl's corpse. Be grateful that it's my pet doing the feeding…" he said ominously, "Gluttony likes to play with his food before eating it."

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" Natsu shouted, disgusted at the man's lack of respect for the dead. "You're going down right now!" Summoning fire beneath his feet, Natsu rocketed up towards the demon. "FIRE DRAGON'S-"

Erza's eyes widened in alarm when Greed pointed his staff at him. "NATSU, DON'T!"

"WING ATTACK!" Natsu shouted, his arms ablaze as he neared the shaman.

"Hmph…" the shaman went as he bejeweled staff pulsed. The blue sapphires on the staff and his belt glowed, summoning a deluge of water and hurling it at Natsu. The Dragon Slayer was pushed backwards until Happy caught him. "You expect to fight me with just one magic? You are even more foolish than your appearance led me to believe." He tapped the chicken again and the creature started to flap its wings. "But that is for another time. Pride asked me to confirm the status on Envy's mission. So for now, farewell…."

The group watched as the giant monster flew away with its master in tow. Happy and Natsu flew down to the ground and the four reconvened. "That guy…" Natsu said, dripping wet. "What the hell was that guy?"

"It's obvious that he's got multiple magic in that staff of his," Gray said, "I mean, his name's Greed, after all."

"Regardless," Erza interrupted. "We should return to Master Makarov and inform him of what's happened.

 _ **Later….  
**_ **Fairy Tail Guildhall**

"I see," Makarov said as he listened to Team Natsu's account of what'd happened. The group had met up with Gajeel and Elfman and together they returned to their guild. To everyone's relief, Wendy had healed Lucy, who was resting in the infirmary after her terrifying run in with the demon, Envy. "All things considered, we should be happy things didn't go south. That girl's power could've bested everyone. We owe Lucy a big thanks for that big brain of hers," he said as he lit his pipe. "So that's one down, six to go."

Elfman crossed his arms. "You make it sound so simple, Master. Natsu and the others only bested one because of a fluke. I doubt the other six will let their weaknesses be exposed so easily.

"Hey!" Natsu interjected. "What do you mean we won by a fluke? We fought our butts off!"

The large man got right up into Natsu's face. "Real men shouldn't rely on aiming for a sole weakness!"

"Why I oughta-"

"Enough!"

Both Wizards yelped when two giant hands bonked them on the head. "That's enough out of you two," Makarov admonished. "We've enough to worry about and the last thing we need is for you to bring the guild down on our heads because of some petty quarrel." Makarov sighed and took a long puff of his pipe. "Still, the situation worries me…."

"How so, Master?" Erza asked.

"This other demon, Greed. From your account it's possible that he was there watching the fight the entire time. If that's the case, why didn't he help Envy? From your scuffle at the cathedral, it doesn't sound like they're not used to fighting as a group. So then, why did he stay his hand? Especially after you defeated Envy and had your guards down?"

"He did try to crush us with a giant chicken," Gray pointed out.

"Can we even call that thing a chicken?" Natsu asked, spooked by the monster's appearance. "'Cause that's one ugly chicken. It looked like something out of a nightmare."

"Hmm…" Makarov closed his eyes. Erza's description of Greed's beast sounded familiar. However, age was hampering with his memory and he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "I suppose we'll learn in due course. We killed one of their comrades so we have to be ready for the Seven Deadly Sins' counterattack."

Cana chugged her barrel of booze before setting it to the side. "I'm so pissed off! Why'd they go after Lucy?"

Erza turned to her comrade. "Out of all the wizards in Fairy Tail, Lucy is by far one of the smartest, if not _the_ smartest, Wizards in the guild. Remember, it was Lucy who figured out Envy's key weakness. And undoubtedly they'd learn of our exploits as soon as they reintegrated themselves into the world. It'd only be natural that Lucy'd end up as a prime target."

Gray nodded, understanding where Erza was coming from. "That makes sense. We shouldn't let her be alone from now on. None of us should be by ourselves now."

Makarov let out a puff of smoke and smiled. "About that, I received word that we won't be the only ones tackling the demons."

As if on cue the doors to the guild open and everyone turned. Natsu and Erza smiled when they saw who'd arrived.

"Sting! Rogue!" Natsu cheered as his fellow Dragon Slayers from Sabretooth walked in.

"Kagura!" Erza exclaimed as the woman from Mermaid Heel entered the guild.

Sting highfived Natsu. "Long time no see, Natsu. Guess you really stepped into it this time, huh?"

Makarov's laugh made Natsu cringe. "Yeah, yeah, Gramps gave me enough of a hard time." He looked around and saw no other reinforcements. "Just you guys? Where's the others?"

Kagura sat down next to Erza on a bench. "My guild's gathering its members as we speak. Most of Mermaid Heel's members are on missions right now. We've had to cancel our contracts and recall everyone. It'll take a while to assemble everyone."

"Same for Sabretooth," Rogue said as he sat down next to Gajeel. "The three of us came together since we met on the road here."

"Lyon, Jura and Sherry from Lamia Scale will be coming as well," Makarov said, much to Gray and Wendy's delight. "And from what I've been told, Master Bob will be sending a few members of Blue Pegasus to team up with us."

Erza turned her back to everyone and slowly started to pray. "Please don't let Ichiya come…please don't let Ichiya come…."

"What about Quatro Cerberus?" Erza asked. "We could use the extra muscle?"

Elfman snickered. "Don't you mean Quatro Puppy?"

It was then that Makarov's expression turned stern. "I'm afraid I've yet to receive a reply from Master Goldmine. Although to be fair, the man was a little lax when it came to answering messages so…."

"Master," Erza said with an earnest look. "Shall I contact Jellal and Meredy and ask them for assistance?"

The two stared at each other for a minute before Makarov nodded. "If you're sure that your friend can help us, I don't see the harm." He was a little against asking for the help of Jellal. Sure, the man had helped them, albeit poorly, during the games but he was still wary of asking a man who'd plotted to kill his friends even if he was brainwashed.

When the midnight bell rang, Makarov stood up and stretched. "It's getting late, folks. It's time we hit the hay. Remember," he said, panning out to everyone. "All of you, be on your guard. We have no knowing of the demons' next plan of attack but we're sure that it will be coming. Don't be foolish and go it alone."

As the Wizards started to walk out of the guild, Makarov walked into his private study and pulled out a communications Lacrima. He tried one more time but wasn't able to get in touch with Goldmine. "Hmm…this is very upsetting," he said. "What could've happened to you, Goldmine?"

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Castle Molkihar**

The knight in shining armor listened to Greed's tale, shaking his head as the shaman informed his fellow demons of Envy's demise. "I see. These Fairy Tail Wizards are quite something." He shook his head and gave his fallen comrade a moment of silence. "Farewell, Envy…."

The demons were gathered in the ruined castle's throne room. Sloth was (still) asleep on his couch while Lust and Gluttony stood by. Wrath was nowhere to be seen; which was to be expected as he was out fulfilling Pride's orders. The hooved woman walked over to the two, her eyes staring at the shaman. "Tell us, Greed. It sounds like you were there the whole time. Why didn't you help the poor girl out?" she asked.

Glaring at the horned demon, Greed simply scoffed. "I thought Envy had this well under control! Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Besides," he turned back to Pride. "If Envy was weak enough to be taken down by a handful of ragtag Wizards, she wasn't fit to join us, now was she?"

Pride slowly nodded, his silver armor glinting in the moonlight. "A fair argument. Although if they were able to take down Envy I'd hardly call them "ragtag", Greed. Regardless, these wizards have proved to be a thorn in our sides. We must remedy that and avenge our fallen friend."

Gluttony grinned, his teeth stained with blood. "Shall I go and invite them to my dinner?" he asked eagerly.

Pride opened his mouth to respond but the five demons were taken aback when a new voice made itself known. "Perhaps I can take care of your little Fairy problem."

The group turned to see someone slink from out of the shadows. Pride scowled when he recognized him; it was the other man from the cathedral. "Ah yes," he said as the intruder stepped forward. "I remember you."

Jango bowed before the knight, his shaved head glinting off the moonlight peeking through the ruined roof. "I am humbled that you'd remember someone such as I," he said before looking up.

Lust wrinkled her nose as she walked around the thief. "And what are you doing here, you sneaky little rat?" Jango cowered when she walked in front of him, her gaze filled with menace. "You are not worthy to stand before us."

The thief threw his hands up in defense. "Then make me worthy!" he said quickly. Turning to Pride, he dropped to his knees. "My lord, I beseech you, make me into a demon like you!" he pleaded, putting his hands together as he begged before the demonic knight. "I have been shamed by those wretched fairies. My own guild has turned its back on me! Please, let me have my revenge on Fairy Tail!" he lowered his head and started to grovel at the man's feet. "I beg of you, my-"

"Enough," Pride said, rolling his eyes as he cut him off. "This pathetic begging makes my ears hurt. Lust was right; you aren't worthy. Not even to lick the dirt off my boots." Jango looked up in fear as the man stared down at him. But to the thief's surprise, Pride started to smile. "But…perhaps fate can correct our assumption…."

The other demons, minus a sleeping Sloth, raised an eyebrow as Pride divulged a shiny red apple from his person. "Really, Pride?" Gluttony asked as he sat back in his chair.

Pride merely gave his old friend a sly smile. "I am but a humble knight, Gluttony. Who am I to judge someone such as him?" he said with a smooth, humble tone. "Besides…we _are_ one short of a full set. And is not a thief the embodiment of Envy?" he pointed out.

Gluttony merely shrugged. "As you wish."

Jango smiled in relief as Pride offered the apple. "What must I do with this?" he asked as he held the apple in his hand.

Again, Pride rolled his eyes. "It is an apple. Eat it."

Understanding the gist and not wanting to offend the demon with a sharp sword further, Jango brought the apple to his lips and took a big bite out of it. The others watched as Jango scarfed the whole apple down, laying the core at Pride's feet. Jango looked up at the knight with hopeful, expected eyes…only for them to widen to their limit when he started to choke. "Guhh! Glckkk!" he sputtered, hitting the floor. His eyes turned black as the sinful apple took hold of his body.

When he rolled over onto his back, Lust poked him with a hoof before confirming what they already knew. "He's dead," she said before laughing. "Well, that was disappointing…."

Pride merely shrugged and smiled. "Not every enterprise ends in satisfaction."

Lust dismissed him with a hand. "Please, every woman is aware of that." When she heard a dragging noise she saw Gluttony with his hand on the dead Jango's leg. "Really? Now?"

"I'm hungry," Gluttony matter-of-factly said before dragging the corpse away to have a private midnight snack.

The horned demon merely shook her head before turning back to Pride, whom was sitting down on the stone throne. "So what now? Shall we avenge Envy's death? You know how much I adored the little minx," she said.

Pride chuckled before propping his head up on his hand, smirking. "You may go, Lust. I know you've been dying to get your hands on Lucy Heartfilia."

Purple lips formed a sinful smile. "Oh yessss…" she slurred, her forked tongue snaking out. "I will have such fun with my cute little friend. Hahahahah…."

Watching Lust leave, Pride reached into his pockets and pulled out a small communications Lacrima. Activating it, he contacted the only person who hadn't been present for the meeting. "Wrath."

" _Pride,_ " came a voice from the other end.

"How goes the war?"

" _War? Sarcasm doesn't fit you, Pride. This is no war. This hardly even counts as sport._ "

"Oh?" Pride's lips formed a most evil smile. "Surely there must be one worthy of your skills in this new generation of Wizards," he said.

 _"This generation is soft. These Wizards have skill akin to an ant's._ "

"I see. Either way, continue with your assault. And make sure to pay Fairy Tail a visit while you're at it," he said. "Pride, over and out."

 _"As you wish, Pride. Wrath out."_

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Quatro Cerberus Guildhall**

"As you wish, Pride. Wrath out." The hulking warrior threw Goldmine's broken body through a wall as he finished speaking with his leader, the Guild master landing like a broken ragdoll. "Out of patience for these dogs."

All around him, the guildhall of Quatro Cerberus burned. Defeated members of the guild lay dead or dying before the massive demon. Sheathing his blood-drenched sword, the man began walking out of the blazing building, stepping over Bacchus as he exited. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled pile of papers.

They were posters promoting guilds.

Taking the Quatro Cerberus poster, Wrath threw it into the burning building and let it catch afire. He looked down at the next target and smiled. Perhaps they would give him more of a challenge then these dogs did.

Pocketing his hit list, he began walking into the direction of Blue Pegasus….

To be continued….

 **A.N.: For those of you wondering, Minerva will not be appearing in this story as it takes place BEFORE the Tartaros Arc. During this period Minerva left Sabretooth and joined the dark guild, Succubus Eye so canonically she would not fit into the timeline of the story.**


	8. The Sins Take Their Prey

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

 _Chapter Eight: The Sins Take Their Prey_

 _ **The Next Day….  
**_ **Road to Magnolia**

On the road walked four Wizards, the sun rising to the east. Each of them had the sigil for Lamia Scale on their bodies as they walked, intending to join the other Wizards at Fairy Tail for the fight against the Seven Deadly Sins.

Lyon noticed Jura had stopped walking and turned around. "Jura. What is the matter?" Both Sherry and her cousin Chelia all turned to their fellow guild member.

Jura looked at the rising sun and noticed how red the sky was. "Blood has been shed last night," Jura said, his brow furrowing.

Sherry looked up and wondered what Jura meant. "Jura, you know that's just a superstition, right?"

Chelia looked up at the sky before seeing something flying towards them. "Look! It's one of Master Oba's messenger pigeons!"

Lyon narrowed his eyes. For their master to send a message right after they'd left didn't bode well. He extended his arm and let the pigeon drop the large scroll it was carrying into his hand. Breaking the seal, he opened it up and read it.

Jura watched the pigeon fly away before turning and seeing the look of horror on Lyon's face. "What has happened, Lyon? Is the guild in jeopardy?"

Thankfully, the white-haired young man shook his head. "No, Jura. It's not our guild that's in danger. But…" he looked down at the ground. "Quatro Cerberus…Quatro Cerberus is no more."

The other three members just stared in shock. "What?!" Sherry gasped. "But what about Bacchus? And Master Goldmine?"

"According to the letter, the guild's in ruins," Lyon explained. "The guildhall was burned to the ground. The villagers were able to recover bodies. A…a lot of them were dead but the reports said that Goldmine is still alive as well as Bacchus. It was reported that he managed to carry Goldmine out of the burning building before the flames became too great. But…they're both in critical condition. And…" Jura looked up and sighed, "It says that Master Goldmine isn't expected to make it."

The wind ominously whipped by the four Wizards as they processed the news. "Do we know who is responsible?" Jura asked.

"Yes. Bacchus was able to recount what happened before he lost consciousness. He said that this was all the work of one man."

"WHAT?!" Sherry and Chelia gasped in horror. "One man took down an entire guild in one night?"

"It is the Seven Deadly Sins," Jura deduced. "They're purging the land of its guilds. They've already starting." Jura started to walk again, this time his stride filled with purpose. They came upon a fork in the road. "Lyon."

"Yes, Jura?" the young man asked as he walked up to his senior.

"Take Chelia and Sherry to Magnolia. I will go this route and head for Blue Pegasus. It's the closest guild to Quatro Cerberus and we need to make sure Ichiya and his group are safe. I will rejoin you at Fairy Tail once I've linked up with them.

Knowing his senior wouldn't think of dividing them so lightly, Lyon nodded. "Alright, Jura. We'll be waiting for you."

"Good luck, Jura," Chelia waved as Jura started to walk down his path.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Sherry asked her friend, Lyon.

"It's Jura. If one of those demons runs into him, I pity them. Let's go," he said, turning around and heading for Fairy Tail.

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Fairy Tail Infirmary**

Lucy sat up, wiping her eyes as she yawned. She remembered the horrifying night she had previously and shivered. She looked around and remembered that she was at the guild's infirmary. She recalled last night where came flew in and told her that Natsu and the others had done it and defeated Envy, saying that without her help, he and the others would've likely died at the hands of the demonic girl. She leaned back down and sighed in relief. There were only six more demons to slay and after their defeat last night, they would most certainly steer clear of the guild which would give Lucy and her friends more time to hunt them down.

And then she heard it.

She sat up startled when she heard something coming from the back of the infirmary, hidden behind a curtain. "Who…who is there…" she said before the music became louder.

" _Sweet Lucy, my dear love_

 _With hair of golden sunshine._

 _Rest your weary mind_

 _And listen to my song Cloud Nine."_

The soft music of a flute played behind the curtain, a trail of visible purple notes flew through the air and entered Lucy's ears. Quickly, Lucy's eyes drooped as she felt her mind start to become dazed. She slumped back onto the bed as she listened to the music more.

" _Sweet Lucy, my dear treasure_

 _Come away from the world that's unjust._

 _Rise from your weary slumber_

 _And come into the arms of Lust."_

Like a zombie, Lucy sat up in bed once more and shambled out of it, walking slowly to the source of the music. When she neared the curtain it was pulled back, revealing the demon Lust, playing her black flute.

Pulling the flute away from her mouth, the horned demon smiled at Lucy's blank face. "Hello there, my sweet Lucy," she grinned before wrapping her arms around her.

"Ahahahahahahah…."

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Fairy Tail Guildhall**

Most of the guild had gathered at the guildhall when the door burst opened. The wizards turned and saw Levy's teammates Jet and Droy dash into the hall. "Guys! It's terrible!"

Makarov hopped down from his seat and walked over to the panting duo. "What is it? What has happened, boys?"

Droy looked up, his eyes about to burst from his sockets from horror. "Levy asked us to go that monastery for more books about the Seven. But when we got there…it was…it was…" the fat man looked away.

Levy dashed over to her teammates. "What happened? What happened to Bart and the monks?"

Jet clenched his teeth before he spat out the words. "They're dead. All of the monks are dead! The…the monastery's a slaughterhouse!"

Makarov's face turned grave. "Calm down, you two. Take a deep breath. Did you see something else?" When both friends looked at each other with nervous faces, Makarov pressed further. "Tell us, Jet, Droy."

Jet took a deep breath before he explained everything. "We…we went into the monastery and saw nobody around. We thought that maybe the monks might've fled so we went into their library. We grabbed the books that Levy asked us to find. But…we started hearing some weird noises so we went further into the monastery. That's…that's when we heard…it."

"Heard what?" Erza asked, walking up next to Makarov.

Droy continued Jet's story. "We opened the door and peeked inside the mess hall. That's…that's when we found the bodies. Most of the…" the fat man shivered. "Most of them looked like someone had taken a bite out of most of the bodies! And…and sitting at a table was a monk. But…he…he…"

Levy put her hands on her friend's shoulders. "Droy, it's okay. We all need to hear this."

The horror of what Droy saw made him scream it out. "HE WAS EATING BARTOLOMEO!"

The guild all froze in horror. "WHAT?!" Erza gasped.

"It's true!" Jet said. "He was eating him like Natsu eats fire. And then…and then the monk that was eating turned to us and grinned. He said, "Care to join me for dessert?" Droy and I ran out as fast as we could," he shamefully admitted. "I'd never been so terrified before."

Gajeel walked over to Jet and shook his head. "Don't beat yourself up. If you'd have stayed, there was a good chance you'd have ended up on his menu. These guys are monsters." Jet was a little werided out that Gajeel of all people was being supportive but appreciated it.

"This is terrible news," Makarov said. "And we've just got word that another of the sins destroyed Quatro Cerberus. These demons work fast…."

"What should we do, Master?" Ezra asked.

"Levy," Makarov turned to the blue-haired woman. "Find out what you can through those books. We need to find their hideout and make them answer for this atrocity! In the meantime we should-"

'MASTER!"

The whole guild turned to see Wendy run out of the Infirmary. "What's wrong, Wendy?" Natsu asked.

"LUCY! SHE'S GONE!"

Everyone stopped where they were. "Gone?!" Erza gaped. "But I just checked in on Lucy fifteen minutes ago!"

"It's true! She's not there. And…and…" she held up a piece of paper. "I found this in her bed."

Makarov took the note out of Wendy's hands and read it. "Oh no…."

 _ **Meanwhile….**_

Ichiya sniffed around as he and his men stopped to take a breather. They'd been walking all morning and needed the break. Unfortunately Master Bob did not have the transportation to spare so they were forced to walk on foot. Beside him, Hibiki used his Archive magic to try to learn more information about the Seven Deadly Sins. "Anything, Hibiki?"

"No, Ichiya-Sensei. There's barely any mention about these demons at all in the council's archive." He stopped typing when he heard his mentor sniffing the air. "Something wrong?"

Ichiya nodded, tensing himself. "I smell the perfume…the perfume of someone stained with blood nearby…."

It turned out that Ichiya's nose was right on the money. The four Wizards heard heavy footsteps nearby and all turned in unison as a huge figure emerged in the middle of the road.

From behind his hood, Wrath observed the four men before reaching into his pocket, withdrawing the communication's lacrima. "Pride?"

 _"Go ahead, Wrath."_

"I think I've found someone with a most peculiar ability…."

To be continued


	9. Lust's Demands

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

 _Chapter Eight: Lust's Demands_

 _ **Back to where we left off….  
**_ **Fairy Tail Guildhall**

Makarov stared at the letter in horror, making everyone in the guildhall nervous. "Master, what's going on? What does Lucy's note say?" Erza asked.

But Makarov merely shook his head. "It's not from Lucy. It's from the demon, Lust."

"LUST?!" everyone in the guildhall shouted.

Taking a deep breath, Makarov read the letter out loud.

" _To the Wizards of Fairy Tail._

 _Your lovely companion, Lucy, will be keeping me company from now on. I know it's a bit sudden but I believe her talents are wasted on some silly guild like yours. Which is why I've taken the liberty of procuring her from your care. However, I would like to throw a going away party for her at the Rosemary & Thyme. Those invited to the party are as follows: _

_Erza Scarlet_

 _Cana Alberona_

 _Mirajane Strauss_

 _Juvia Lockser_

 _Wendy Marvel_

 _If you feel inclined to send some of your fetching men along with the guests of honor, I would be ever so inclined. However, if your little allies from Mermaid Heel and Sabretooth or if any of the mongrel dogs from your guild try to crash the party then I assure you of this: Lucy's going away party will become a wake._

 _I'll be waiting at the Rosemary & Thyme at eight o'clock tonight. Don't keep me waiting. You wouldn't want Lucy to play with me all by her lonesome, now would you? _

_So come, Fairy Tail. I'm waiting…._

 _Love, Lust."_

Makarov crumped the note and bristled in fury. "This witch will answer for this!" he said defiantly.

"Procuring her?" Erza repeated, disgusted at Lust's open invitation. "She's treating Lucy like a mere object!"

Natsu turned right around and made for the door. "Nobody hurts our friend and gets away with it! Let's go and-"

"NO, NATSU!" Makarov shouted, his stern glare keeping Natsu at bay. "I am just as much anxious to get Lucy back but we must be cautious."

"But Master!" Mirajane said, walking out of the bar. "We can't abandon Lucy!"

"I'm not saying we're abandoning her!" Makarov barked. "But we can't just run headfirst into Lust's clutches. It's obvious this is a trap. She's luring us by kidnapping Lucy."

"But Master," Erza interjected. "Why the five of us?"

Makarov looked at the floor and pondered that himself. "Hmm…I can't really say. It's clear she's been spying on us since she knows about Kagura, Sting and Rogue. But why you five ladies I've no clue. And why did she say that only seven could enter?"

The group was silent as they pondered so many questions. The silence was broken when Wendy raised her hand. "Um…what's the Rosemary & Thyme? Is it like a club or an hotel?"

All of the adults in the room suddenly became uncomfortable at the prospect of answering the child's question. Macao scratched the back of his head as he looked at the girl. "It's uh…well, it's… an old…abandoned…uh…."

Wakaba sputtered smoke as he himself tried to come up with an answer for the girl. "You see, Wendy…some girls found work…in a different kind of industry…and well…."

Erza bonked the two men on the head, tired of them beating around the bush. "She's not a child, gentlemen. She's old enough to hear this sort of stuff."

As she began to speak though, Bisca covered her daughter's ears….

"For those of you who aren't aware, the Rosemary & Thyme is an abandoned brothel on the outskirts of town. The place was known for its extravagance and its beautiful girls. A few years ago, however, Magnolia had an outbreak of venereal diseases which was traced back to the brothel. As such its owner was arrested and the place was shut down so that the girls there could all be treated properly. It'd make the perfect place for a hideout for a demon of temptation."

Wendy's ears burned as she processed the information but she nodded.

Erza glared at the two old men. "But the real question is: How do you two know so much about it?"

Wakaba and Macao started to stammer and back away, citing excuses like they were young at the time and they weren't married yet…..

Focusing on the matter at hand, Erza looked at her teammates. "She said no more than seven could come, correct? Which means that Natsu and Gray can come with us."

"We were gonna come with you even if it meant more than seven," Gray said.

Natsu nodded. "I second that. Now let's go!" he shouted, turning around to charge out the door before Makarov bonked him on the head.

"Natsu! For pity's sake, will you stop and think?! It's not eight o'clock yet! We need to prepare ourselves for whatever this demon has in store for us. Right now the only thing we can do is play her game, which means she'll have the upper hand. We've no knowing what she plans to do with Lucy but we can't rush in halfcocked or we won't be able to save anyone."

Natsu balled his hands into fists and cursed. As much as he hated to admit it, the old man was right. "Dammit all!" he shouted as he punched the wall. "Who knows what that freak's doing to Lucy?" He hung his head as the image of Lucy popped into his head. "I hope she's okay…."

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Rosemary & Thyme**

The old brothel may have been closed but the smell of sweat and desire still lingered within its walls. It was a smell that made Lust nostalgic as she prepared everything. She knew that Fairy Tail would be cautious and come at the appointed time; that gave her all the time she needed with her new toy.

Walking into the owner's bedroom, Lust smirked at the sleeping form in the bed. Next to her was her black flute which was magically playing a lullaby keeping Lucy asleep for the moment. Sitting down next to Lucy, Lust reached out and caressed the blonde's cheek. "Such a beauty. And with brains to boot," she said. "You'll make a fine replacement for Envy…after we deal with your meddlesome friends."

She knew that Lucy would try to resist the demonification but Lust's powers of brainwashing were absolute; she'd make Lucy give in to the darkness with great pleasure. And besides, once Lucy took a single bite out of one of Pride's apples there would be no going back.

Looking at the clock, Lust's lips formed a knowing smile. Eight o'clock was a long way away which gave Lust all the time she needed to make Lucy her best weapon. "Now then…" she reached for her hovering flute and grasped it, bringing it to her mouth. "What song shall I play you next, Lucy?"

 _ **Later….  
**_ **Rosemary & Thyme; 8:00 PM**

Never one for subtlety, as soon as they reached the abandoned brothel on the outskirts of town, Natsu kicked in the door with a fiery stomp. He was more than determined to get his teammate back. "Lucy!" he called out as he and the group entered the main lobby of a brothel. "Where are you?" Lamps were lit on the walls and the place was decked out with purple and pink decorations, giving it a festive atmosphere.

Already having a sword in hand, Erza scanned the room and prepared for battle. "Keep on your guard, guys. We don't know if she's rigged the place with booby-traps."

"My, oh my, aren't we the cautious one? And the door wasn't locked, just so you know," said a voice from the dark. The group looked up to see Lust sitting on the railing at the top of the stairs, her hooves clicking as she looked down at her guests. "Welcome, Fairy Tail. Glad you can make it to the party."

"Where's Lucy?" Cana demanded.

"Oh, the guest of honor will be here shortly. She's just…" Lust's grin grew wider, "Getting herself ready."

"Ready for what?" Erza demanded, her eyes glaring at the demon.

Lust chuckled as she locked eyes with Erza. "My, how ferocious your eyes are, Erza Scarlet. You certainly live up to your reputation. But to answer your question, Erza, tonight is a special night. Tonight will be Lucy's farewell from Fairy Tail."

Gray stepped forward. "You think that we're just gonna let you take her? You're out of your mind!"

"Oh, I have no doubt you'll stop me. And after you are all dead at my feet, there will be nothing stopping Lucy from joining the Seven Dedly Sins."

"NO!" Wendy gasped, covering her mouth in horror.

"Oh yes, little one." Lust licked her lips as she twirled her flute in her hands like a baton. "You see, thanks to you lot Envy is dead, which leaves us one shy of a full set. So it is only fair compensation that I take one of your comrades just like you took mine," she said coldheartedly.

"What makes you think Lucy will join you?" Juvia asked.

"She might be resistant but the sight of your broken, dead bodies will break anyone whose soul is as sweet as hers. She'll succumb to darkness and become one of us."

Gray had enough talking. "Like hell we're gonna let that happen!" He put his hands together and charged his magic. "Ice Make: Spear!" He created a long, jagged spear and hurled it at Lust. The demon didn't even bat an eye as it neared her. "What?" Gray gasped as the spear went through Lust like she was made of smoke. "She's just an astral projection?"

"My apologies. But I'm a bit in the middle of sprucing Lucy up for her farewell so I'm a little preoccupied to greet you in the flesh," Lust said with a smirk. "I see you're quite the hotblooded Wizard, Gray Fullbuster. How odd for an Ice Wizard." She brought the flute to her lips. She may have only been a projection but she could still use her magic on the Fairy Tail wizards. "Shall I play a song for you?"

Not willing to let the man she loved get hurt, Juvia sprung into action. "Water Slicer!" she shouted, tendrils of water shooting out of her arms to attack the apparition. She knew projection spells well enough that if you disturb a projection while they were in the middle of something it'd disrupt the connection between the projection and the real thing.

Lust jumped up with inhuman speed and landed on the chandelier dangling on the ceiling, her eyes narrowing as she stared at Juvia. "Goodness gracious. Such inititive and fervor. You must like that boy quite a bit, Juvia. I'm jealous."

Juvia shivered from the look of scorn on Lust's face. She saw her put the flute to her mouth and sent another whip of water at her but Lust blew into the flute and the soundwave pushed back the water. "What are you doing?" she demanded to know. The others behind her got ready for battle as well.

"I can see it. The passion you hold for your friend. I'm gonna do you a favor and let all that passion out of you," Lust said before putting the flute to her lips. "I'll drown you and the man you care about so much with a song of ecstasy."

"Song of Corruption."

Juvia's eyes widened as she heard the words, flashbacks to the Tower of Heaven coming back to her. She put her hands to her ears when she heard Lust play her flute but it was to no avail. "NOO!" she screamed as the music wormed its way into her mind again. "Not again! NOOOO!"

"Juvia!" Gray shouted when he saw Juvia's face distort with horror. "What's wrong?!" As he spoke, Lust's music became louder and louder.

Juvia screamed as she felt a very dark and familiar sensation swarm over her. "NO! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" She disappeared in a bright flashing light. "AHHHHHHHH!"

The others covered their eyes as they were blinded, wondering what horrible act Lust had done to Juvia. Gray recovered faster and saw that a shroud of smoke had enveloped the girl. "Juvia?" he called out cautiously.

"AHAHAHAHAH! Oh, I'm here, Gray! And I'm loving it!"

Everyone gasped when Juvia emerged. She'd completely changed. Her skin was now bone white and her hair sprawled down her shoulders and back. Her outfit now consisted of a dark tank top and black leather pants. On her stomach was a satanic tattoo. "Oh my god!" Mirajane gasped in horror.

"What have you done to her?!" Cana demanded. "She looks like the patron saint of whores!"

"Ahahahah! Fuck all of you guys!" Juvia shouted, flipping the group the bird before turning her attention to Gray. "Come here, Gray. I'm not gonna let any of these bitches have you!"

Gray was about to ask what she meant when Juvia lunged forward and kissed him. Surprised by this weird turn of events, Gray tried to push Juvia off of her but Juvia was a lot stronger than she looked. "Juvia! Stop it!"

"Never!" Juvia said with a grin. Her watery arms wrapped around Gray and she lifted him up. "It's time I showed you some tough love, Gray!" With a yell she threw him through an opened door into another part of the brothel, giving little thought to her former comrades. "You bitches can go fuck off!" she shouted before going back to Gray.

"Uh…anyone want to clue me in on what just happened?" Natsu asked.

"Should we help them?" Wnedy asked, not sure of how to help the brainwashed Juvia.

Erza looked up and no longer saw Lust's astral projection on the chandelier. "Where is she?" Erza shouted, checking the corners.

Natsu saw someone at the top of the staircase and growled; the figure was cloaked in shadow but she recognized the horns on her head. "There she is! I've got her!" Without pause he charged up the stairs and ignited his fists. "I'll burn you to ash if you hurt Lucy!"

Wendy's eyes widened when the figure stepped into the light and she called out to her fellow Dragon Slayer. "Natsu! Stop! That's not Lust! That's-"

 _WHAM!_

The group watched in amazement as Natsu was knocked clean out of the building, leaving a Natsu-sized hole in the roof. Erza was completely bafflement when she turned to Natsu's attacker, only to gap in horror when she recognized the assailant. "Lucy?"

" _ **In the flesh,**_ " said Lucy but it was with the voice of Lust.

Slowly descending the staircase, Lucy smiled at her friends. She was dressed in a black tube top that barely contained her cleavage. Wearing black and purple sleeves, she walked elegantly down the stairs in black pants and high heels. Her hair was tied to look like horns but what made her look truly demonic was her eyes.

Her eyes were completely black; it was as if Lust had devoured Lucy's soul.

" _ **Erza. Mira. Wendy. Cana. Tell me,**_ " she said as she pulled the black flute from her belt. " _ **What should I play to be your swansong?**_ "

To be continued


	10. Origin of Sin: Lust

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

 _Chapter Ten: Origin of Sin: Lust_

 _ **And now let us turn back the clock and turn instead to the distant past….  
**_ **City of Madripoor**

 _Beautiful._

 _So many words that mimicked this word's definition described the woman who was being held in the arms of the man she'd loved. Rosanna kissed her lover while they stood in the garden to the man's mansion, surrounded by roses of the brightest reds and pinks. Her lovely chestnut hair was tied with a ribbon and her emerald eyes seemed to shine in the moonlight._

 _Dressed in a gorgeous blue dress, Rosanna hugged her lover's neck while basking in the warmth of his embrace. "Oh, Mercurius…" she breathed, laying her head on his shoulder._

 _Holding the love of his life, Mercurius kissed her forehead and looked up at the sky. "Look," he said pointing up, "the stars themselves twinkle to profess your loveliness."_

 _Rosanna laughed. Mercurius was such a hopeless romantic that it was too corny not to love him all the more. Taking him by the hand, Rosanna guided him to a stone bench and they sat down._

 _The two had been friends since childhood. It was almost storybook how they fell in love; him, the eldest son of a nobleman and she, a daughter of a lowly street musician. They'd met when they were but children and their friendship had naturally grown into love for one another. Now a young man, the handsome Mercurius looked like the exemplar of grace, with his trimmed blonde hair and eyes as blue as the ocean, his suit the finest that the tailor could produce._

 _Holding her close, Mercurius took hold of Rosanna's hand and kissed it. "I will be away for a few weeks. My father and I are traveling overseas on a business venture."_

 _"Can't I come with you?" Rosanna pleaded, cupping his face with her slim, elegant hands._

 _Chuckling, Mercurius kissed her cheek and sadly nodded. "I'm afraid I cannot. You know how my father gets…" he said with a sigh._

 _Rosanna frowned. "He still doesn't approve of me?"_

 _"I fear he'll never approve. But I have no need of his approval." He took hold of her hand and squeezed. "I have you, which is more than enough."_

 _The smile on Rosanna's face said it all. Mercurius's father, Atlus, disapproved of his son's relationship with a mere commoner and had on separate occasions made his distaste for Rosanna public and took every opportunity to mock her and her family's trade. But none of it mattered to Rosanna. To her, Atlus was just an old man with one foot in the grave. Soon, time will rid her of her greatest critic._

 _Reaching into her dress, Rosanna produced a black flute, her family's most prized heirloom. It'd been carved by her mother and was the one thing Rosanna had to remind her of her mother after she'd passed away. "I've a new song for you, my love," she said, holding the flute close. "Would you like to hear it?"_

 _"Nothing would make me happier," Mercurius said._

 _Bringing the flute up to her mouth, Rosanna played a nocturne, her fingers deftly crafting the musical notes that erupted from the end of the flute. Rosanna loved playing for Mercurius; he was her biggest fan and her greatest patron._

 _Once she was finished, they two parted for the night. Rosanna left the mansion by the main gate. She walked along the road and turned around. As soon as she saw the light to Mercurius's room go out she started to walk back to the mansion. Entering through a secret passage, she reached a certain window and knocked gently._

 _The light came on and the window opened. Arms pulled Rosanna into the room and she felt lips claim hers. Rosanna felt like she was in heaven as she kissed the man…except it wasn't Mercurius. She pulled away and smiled, closing the window behind her. Closing the curtain, she turned back to the man and smiled. "Icaro…" she whispered._

 _The younger son of Atlus held his lover in his arms as they kissed again. Like his older brother, Icaro had blue eyes but his hair was a long, dark brown. Her hand grazed scars on his face, reminders of several battles he'd survived; Icaro was a member of the Council's Rune Knights. Unlike Mercurius, Icaro did not normally stay in the mansion, preferring to leave his brother to the family title while he stayed in his own small home. It was perfect for Rosanna but when she heard that Icaro had returned to the manor for the week she couldn't' resist the need to see him._

 _The truth of the matter was that Rosanna loved both Mercurius and Icaro. She'd been friends with the brothers as a little girl and had grown up with them. As she soon transitioned into womanhood Rosanna struggled to come to terms with her feelings towards the two brothers. She loved them dearly with all her heart. And she knew that they both loved her as well, though neither of them ever made their affections of Rosanna known to each other. Rosanna knew how wrong it was by being with both brothers behind their backs. She knew it was horrible to them both but she couldn't do the unthinkable: she couldn't choose between them. To do so would break her heart as well as break one of theirs. To consciously stomp on either of their hearts and tell him that she loved the other more would devastate them. Not only that, both brothers were fierce when it came to their passion. If she did declare that she loved one over the other, she knew it'd come to blows. And since Icaro was a Rune Knight she knew that magic would be involved._

 _She spent the evening in Icaro's arms and left through the window and the secret passage out of the mansion. She walked back her small apartment and wished to the heavens above that this could go on, that she could love both men and keep their hearts without things coming to tragedy._

 _Sadly, all lies are exposed in the end and Rosanna's was no exception. Unbeknownst to her, when she'd slipped out of Icaro's room that night, she had a watcher who was more than willing to tell both men of her nocturnal activities…._

 _ **A few days later….**_

 _Rosanna cried out in pain as Mercurius struck her, sending her to the floor. The man was furious beyond measure and by the looks of Icaro standing beside him he was in a similar state. Behind the desk sat the boys' father, Atlus, who had a smug smile on his face as he saw the sight of the proud Rosanna laid low before him. His desk was located near the fireplace which was burning bright in the darkened room. Rain pelted the windows as a storm raged outside with the same ferocity as the storm inside the room._

 _Icaro grabbed Rosanna by the arm and yanked her up. The look on his face was a mixture of rage and pain. "How could you?" he choked. "I loved you! And yet…with him?"_

 _Mercurius yanked Rosanna away from his brother and gripped her so hard her wrists felt like they were on the verge of breaking. "You've played us both! Father was right all along! You're nothing but a harlot!"_

 _"No!" Rosanna pleaded. "You don't understand! I love you both! I just…I just..." Tears ran down her face. She tried to break free from Mercurius but his grip was absolute. "Stop! Mercurius! You're hurting me!"_

 _The man threw her to the floor again. He turned to his father, who was looking at the fallen Rosanna with a sneer. He was disgusted by how much pleasure his father was taking from this but put that aside. "I'm glad that father told us about this, otherwise you'd have continued to string us along for years."_

 _"Quite so, my boy," the old man said with a smile. "By the way, Icaro, didn't you buy that dress of hers with your hard-earned wages? It cost you…what, a month's pay?"_

 _Taking the bait, the hotheaded Icaro stepped over Rosanna and grabbed her dress. "You're right, Father." He looked down at Rosanna with eyes of scorn. "You don't deserve this. You didn't deserve anything from us!"_

 _Mercurius and Atlus watched as Icaro started to tear parts of her dress, only stopping from fully stripping her when Mercurius held him back. Mercurius looked down at his childhood friend and lover with eyes filled with contempt and scorn. "Get out," he said with venom in his voice. "Don't ever show your face to me, my brother or my father. Otherwise," he put his hand on the sword at his hip, "I might take leave of my senses…" he threatened._

 _"Mercurius…Icaro…please," Rosanna sobbed._

 _"One more thing," the old man said as he reached into his pocket and withdrew something. "This wench has cost you two too many an item in order to court her. I believe you're both due compensation."_

 _Rosanna paled. In Atlus's hand was her flute. "No!" she screamed. "That's mine! It was my mother's! It's the only thing I have left!" she pleaded._

 _Mercurius stormed up to his father and snatched the flute out of his hand. Looking back at Rosanna, he remembered all the times she played for him. Now, in the wake of her adultery, her songs felt like mocking laughter. "No more songs for you!" he said before snapping the flute in half._

 _"NO!" Rosanna screamed as Mercurius threw the pieces into the fire. "How will I live?" she pleaded, looking up at Icaro. "I can't perform if I don't have my flute!"_

 _Icaro kicked her away. "Why don't you sell yourself?" he sneered. "You've clearly sold your soul and your dignity." He reached down and grabbed Rosanna by her hair, dragging her out the room. Reaching the front door, Icaro threw Rosanna out into the rain. "Never come back here, you whore!" he shouted before slamming the door and leaving Rosanna out on the front steps of the mansion, her dress torn and tattered._

 _Sobbing, Rosanna gathered what remained of her dress and walked away from the house of her lovers. She felt miserable and wished Mercurius had ran her through with his sword because that's what her heart felt like what'd happened to it. Before she left the vicinity she took one last look at the mansion and saw Atlus by the window, a sneer on his face before he pulled back the curtain and cut off her vision of him._

 _Sobbing, Rosanna hobbled home in the rain, unsure of what her life had become now that she'd lost the loves of her life._

 _ **Months later….  
**_ **City of Madrippor; Red Light District**

 _Rosanna prayed every day to whatever god would listen. She didn't pray for money. She didn't pray for her lovers to rescue her. She merely prayed for a quick death._

 _Atlus had made very well sure that the whole city knew of Rosanna's infidelity. Her patrons abandoning her one after the other, Rosanna was unable to acquire another flute to play and found herself penniless. All of those who knew her quickly ended any association with her, telling Rosanna that she'd brought it on herself. With no family left and no friends to turn to, Rosanna had to resort to the ultimate low to put bread on the table: prostitution._

 _Every time Rosanna had to lie with a man she cursed her former lovers. Every time her lips connected to a mouth filled with rotten teeth or had to endure the odor of a man who hadn't bathed in days her heart filled with more and more scorn. Life no longer had any meaning to her and she went to bed every night praying she'd never wake up._

 _Standing on the steps of the ramshackle hut that she now lived in at the edge of the red light district, Rosanna looked up at the stars. Their twinkling reminded her of Mercurius's words and she soon found herself hating them. How dare they be bright and shiny while she slaved away in the mud?_

 _She looked down at the muddy ground and frowned. She didn't know how long it would be before the inevitable happened. She'd seen it occur dozens of times: women dying in their beds after enduring months of suffering from a venereal disease. Or worse, Rosanna would give birth out of wedlock and be forced to provide to a child she didn't want._

 _The thought of either future made Rosanna wish for revenge. She hated Mercurius. She resented Icaro. And more importantly she despised Atlus. She'd loved both men but in the end they chose not to understand her viewpoint and had thrown her to the dregs._

 _What she wouldn't give for revenge…._

 _No sooner did the thought pop into her head than she heard a horse trot up. She was surprised to see a knight in gleaming silver armor step down from his horse. "Good evening, Madam," the knight greeted. He took hold of her hand and kissed it._

 _Blushing, Rosanna smiled at the knight. This was certainly a change of pace. "If you're looking for my services, sir, it's two hundred jewels per-"_

 _The knight cut her off. "No need for that, ma'am. I'm not here for your services. I'm here to offer you mine."_

 _Rosanna stood there, not knowing how to process this. One moment she was standing in the mud by her flimsy shack and now she was being offered the services of a knight in shining armor. "What do you mean?" When she looked back at the horse she noticed something she hadn't saw in the darkness of the night: there was a small girl still on the horse, her putrid yellow eyes looking down at Rosanna with intrigue. "Don't tell me you're looking for me to babysit?" she suggested._

 _The man shook his head. "Nothing like that. Please excuse my friend. May we speak inside?"_

 _Nodding, Rosanna led him into her one-room shack. Sitting down in a chair, Rosanna sighed and looked up at the still-standing knight. "So what is it you can do for me?" she asked. "Also, I didn't catch your name, Sir…."_

 _"Pride," the man greeted, bowing before the prostitute. "My associate calls me Pride. But back to the matter at hand, I know of you, Rosanna."_

 _Crossing her arms, Rosanna scowled. "If Icaro put you up to this then let me tell you now that he can go straight to-"_

 _Cutting her off with a hand, Pride reached into his sack while continuing. "You misunderstand. I'm here to offer you the one thing you want."_

 _Continuing to scowl, Rosanna turned away, huffing in annoyance. "All I want is revenge. I'm going to die in this hovel but I'll die happy if I can put Atlus and his sons in their place."_

 _"Precisely why I'm here."_

 _Rosanna turned back to Pride and saw that he had a shiny red apple in his hand. "What is this?" she asked, wary of the fruit._

 _"A chance," Pride said while he handed her the fruit. "Eat it and I promise you this: you will never suffer at the hands of another man again."_

 _Holding the fruit in front of her, Rosanna looked down at it. She didn't know if this was some trick or not. For all she knew Pride could be in cahoots with Icaro or Atlus and had the apple poisoned or spiked with a hallucinogen in an effort to further humiliate her. But when she looked around at the miserable place she called home and recalled the scorn her lovers had in their eyes when they'd abandoned her she knew that death was a welcome choice. Anything was better than living another day as a prostitute._

 _Pride's smile grew as Rosanna took a bite out of the fruit. She chewed it and tasted no signs of tampering and took another bite. When she swallowed it, however, her hands went to her throat. "What…what is this?!" she choked, dropping the apple which landed on the dirty floor. Envy walked into the house and stood next to Pride as she fell out of her chair. For a moment, Pride thought he'd made the wrong choice but that thought perished as the prostitute started to change._

 _Rosanna looked down at her arms and saw her skin changing. Her eyes turned black and she felt ecstasy roar through her, as if she was being carried to the gates of heaven. Her tongue extended and rolled out of her mouth and she let out a lewd sigh, horns sprouting atop her head. She groaned as she felt her feet morph. Her small feet bubbled and twisted until they were in the shape of hooves, another groan escaping her when she felt a tail pop out of her dress._

 _When the transformation was complete, Rosanna ceased to exist. She'd died and in her place rose Lust, a demon of ecstasy._

 _"How do you feel, my lady?" Pride asked as he helped his new comrade up._

 _Looking down at herself, Lust felt power fill her and smiled. "Bitter. Angry. And a little bit aroused," she said. "I assume this isn't a free gift?"_

 _"Yes," Pride nodded. "But before we begin with our work, I believe it only fair to let you tie up some loose ends…._

 _ **Later….  
**_ **Atlus's Mansion**

 _Atlus opened the door to his study and strolled in, happier than he'd been in a long time. His son, Mercurius, was about to wed a woman whose father was head of a shipping company and with their marriage brought all the fortune that came along with it. Atlus prided himself for getting rid of Rosanna, whom he'd always detested. As of now Mercurius's fiancé was staying at the manor in one of the guest rooms, getting ready for her big day. He wished that Icaro would resign from his position of the Rune Knights to come back to the family business but with Mercurius's marriage his legacy was secured. Walking up to his desk, he gathered his papers, planning on turning in for the night, only to stop when he saw something laying on the desk._

 _It was a black flute._

 _Picking it up, Atlus turned it over and scowled. "This looks like that whore's flute," he noted. "It can't be. Mercurius snapped it and burned it in the fireplace."_

 _A voice from the darkness made him shake. "Yes, but music is forever. No fire can put out my passion, old man…."_

 _Recognizing the voice, Atlus whirled around and scowled indignantly. "You! What are you doing here, you harlot?" he demanded to know before the most ominous thing happened. As if by some unseen hand, the black flute was wrenched from his grip and flew into the darkness. He heard steps taken towards him but they puzzled him greatly; they sounded like the hooves of a horse and not like the footsteps of a woman. When Lust stepped into the light Atlus clutched his chest and stumbled backwards, falling into his chair. "What…what are you?!" he gasped._

 _Walking over to Atlus, Lust, now dressed in black leather garments, pressed a finger to the old man's lips. "Shhhh…it's okay, Atlus. I'm just going to play you a song that's all…."_

 _"A…a song?" Atlus choked._

 _"Yes…" Lust smirked. "The last song you'll ever hear."_

 _ **Later….**_

 _Icaro kicked the door down to the mansion and he and his brother rushed inside. They'd both been drinking at the local pub when one of the family servants rushed into the place, screaming at the top of her lungs. When they'd managed to calm her down she'd told them that their father had gone mad and was attacking everyone in sight. After hearing her tale they'd rushed back to their home as fast as they could._

 _In short: the place looked like a slaughterhouse. Blood was painted all over the walls. Priceless paintings were slashed and torn. Mercurius had to keep himself from vomiting when he saw the bodies of several servants lying in the room. "What has father done?" he choked._

 _Icaro was used to seeing blood but this was beyond anything experience could prepare him for. "Where is he?" he said before they both heard a scream. Both men paled when the realized where it was coming from._

 _Mercurius dashed up the stairs as fast as he could, stepping over more bodies as he went. He ran to the door of his fiancé's room and turned the doorknob._

 _It didn't budge._

 _"Move!" Icaro said, drawing his saber. With a few well-aimed slashes he chopped the door down. The brothers went inside only for Mercurius to scream in horror at the sight before him._

 _His father stood over his fiancée and it was clear by how mutilated her body was that she was on longer of the living. When Atlus turned around they were both horrified by the insane smile on his face, his clothes stained with red blood. In his hands was a knife, dripping blood._

 _"F-father," Mercurius choked, unable to understand what he was seeing. "Why…why have you-"_

 _"For my Mistress," Atlus said, his head tilting to the side. "I'll do anything for my Mistress, even kill my own sons."_

 _Mercurius wasn't prepared for when Atlus lunged for him but Icaro was. The wall became stained with more blood that sprayed from the stump where Atlus's arm used to be after the man cut it off. Grabbing his father by the throat, Icaro pinned him to the wall. "Who is responsible for this?!" he demanded. "What Mistress?"_

 _The older brother ran to his fiancée and struggled to keep it together. This was monstrous, what'd been done to her. "Why?" he said, knowing that his fiancée was dead and he'd lost his love for a second time. It was then that the brothers heard something that chilled them to a bone._

 _Music. Played from a flute._

 _Icaro dropped his sword and stumbled, putting his hands over his ears to blot out the noise but it was too late. "What…is…happening…" he slurred before falling asleep. Mercurius as well felt the need for sleep overtake him. As he dropped to the ground he saw someone standing in the ruined doorway, playing her flute. "Rosanna?" he breathed as he struggled to stay awake, recognizing the demonic figure. "How could you?" he choked._

 _"You know what they say about a woman scorned," Lust taunted. She put her flute away and grabbed something else that Pride had given her. "Goodbye, Mercurius. Goodbye Icaro." She lit a match and smiled. "Pleasant dreams…."_

 _She dropped the match and let it ignite the carpet. She watched the fire reach her two sleeping friends before turning around only to see Atlus crawling towards her with his remaining arm._

 _"Mistress…please…" he pleaded. "Save me!" he cried out as the flames neared him._

 _Lust kicked the old man in the face and turned away. "Goodbye, old man. I believe this is fair compensation for ruining my life."_

 _She walked out of the mansion, hearing the screams inside but cared little, knowing that Atlus, Mercurius and Icaro were dead men. But she no longer cared. She didn't believe in such silly things as love anymore. Love was dead. Rosanna was dead._

 _There was only Lust now._

 _To be continued_


	11. Lust's Scorn

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

 _Chapter Eleven: Lust's Scorn_

 _ **Back to the present….  
**_ **Rosemary & Thyme**

" _ **How do I look?**_ " Lucy/Lust said as she walked down the stairs, her eyes taking in the stunned and horrified expressions of her guildmates. " _ **Not bad, eh**_?"

"You witch!" Cana shouted. "What've you done to Lucy?!" While she, Wendy and Erza stared down the demon, Mirajane had gone to check on Natsu to try and bring him back into the fight.

Walking over to her, Lucy/Lust grinned wickedly, knowing that Cana wanted to attack her but knew the consequences of doing so. " _ **What's the matter? Jealous of my stunning good looks?**_ "

Erza had enough. She moved with a rage few had ever lived to see and charged at the possessed Lucy. "I don't know what you've done but I'll carve you out of Lucy!" she shouted as she Requipped a sword. But Lucy/Lust dodged Erza's slash and jumped gracefully onto the chandelier, the ornament swaying from her sudden weight. "How can she move like that?" Erza questioned. "Lucy can't move that agile."

Grinning, the possessed blonde ran a hand down her transformed body. _**"Have you forgotten, Erza? The body is Lucy's but I'm the one behind the wheel**_ ," she snickered. " _ **What a nasty blade. Were you really going to cut your own friend to ribbons?**_ " she asked, gesturing to the scimitar in Erza's hand. "Just so you know: killing Lucy won't kill me. But please, keep at it. I do so enjoy a dance."

Cana looked at Erza in disbelief. "Erza! No!"

"We have no choice," Erza boldly declared. "We cannot let her have Lucy, no matter what. I will not leave her to a fate worse than death."

" _ **Ooooh! You're as cold as your reputation proclaims, Erza Scarlet,**_ " Lucy/Lust mocked as she looked down at the redhead. " _ **Since you're so eager to play….**_ "

Erza saw the demonic Lucy reach behind her. "You think I'm going to give you a chance to play another song?"

" _ **Why not? I do so adore an audience. But if you're so critical of my performance then allow me to introduce my supporting cast!**_ " The remaining women gasped when they saw her hold Lucy's keys in her hands. " _ **Open!**_ "

Erza braced herself as Taurus emerged. "Taurus!" she shouted as the anthropomorphic bovine charged at her. "You can't do this! Your master is being possessed, you have to help her!"

"MOOOOOOO!"

Erza was forced to dodge the Spirit's heavy axe as he swung, taking of chunk of the wall in Erza's place. When the Celestial Spirit turned around, Erza was horrified to see the same black eyes that Lucy had. "What have you done to Lucy's spirits, you fiend!"

" _ **Lucy and I are one. Her body is my body. And her powers are my powers, now blended with a hint of demonic energy.**_ " Lucy/Lust took a long inhale. " _ **I do so enjoy the smell of corrupted spirit in the afternoon. It goes well with the smell of blood. Oh Taurus,**_ " she called out. " _ **Why don't you play with our dear friend, Erza? You can have at it with her udders!**_ " she said lewdly.

"MOOOOO!" went Taurus with hearts in his eyes. "Erza's udders! I've always wanted to touch them!"

The redhead would have deadpanned had it not been for the charging bull coming right at her. She readied her sword and prepared herself for what she had to do. She knew that Celestial Spirits couldn't die but that didn't mean she'd enjoy hurting Taurus, even if he was blinded by his perverted obsession with women's "udders". She dodged Taurus's wide swing and slashed at his belly. She expected the spirit to tumble and fall before disappearing but instead he turned right around and backhanded her, sending her flying into a table. Cringing from the impact, the strong woman saw that the wound she'd inflicted was healing. "What? But how could-" It was then that Erza could hear it: music.

Sitting atop the chandelier, Lucy/Lust played another melody from her black flute. " _ **Fret not, my lovely Taurus. If you're injured, your wounds will heal. Now then, kill her.**_ "

Erza stood up and Requipped an axe of her own in her free hand, sheathing the scimitar for now. "If you think that your song will be enough, Lust, you're sorely mistaken!"

" _ **Is that so? Then how about a change in tune?**_ " Lucy/Lust's fingers danced across her flute, sending out a deadly melody towards Erza.

Erza took a step forward before she felt something on her cheek. When she wiped it she saw what it was and gasped.

It was blood.

She reached up and felt the cut on her cheek and wondered when she was hurt but soon found herself bleeding from other areas. She stumbled forward as old wounds were reopened. "What is happening?" she gasped as she struggled to remain on her feet.

Lucy/Lust chuckled as she played her melody of pain. " _ **A song is a powerful weapon. And in the hands of a Demon it can be quite fatal. I was an accomplished songstress in my Human life and as a Demon I know many fatal melodies. Some can send you into a sleep you'll never wake up. Some can turn make the best of friends kill each other. Some can heal. And others can cause pain.**_ " The possessed Lucy leered down at the bleeding Erza. " _ **How does it feel to have the wounds you barely survived to open back up one after the other? So what will it be? Will you survive my Spirit's attack and bleed out?**_ " she asked as Taurus readied his axe for another round. " _ **Or will you simply end it with a quick decapitation? Either way is fine with me.**_ "

Erza cursed as Taurus charged at her again, her legs feeling like they were made of lead. She gripped her axe and prepared to block the huge Celestial Spirits swing when she felt air rush behind her. "Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy shouted before blasting a vortex of air at the spirit, sending him flying into a nearby wall and leaving a Taurus-shaped hole behind.

Lucy/Lust looked up to see a sharpened playing card veer overhead, severing the chain to the chandelier. She leapt off the falling chandelier and landed on the ground, only for more cards to shoot towards her, knocking the black flute out of her hands. "Wendy, go take care of Erza!" Cana ordered. "I'll deal with getting her out of Lucy."

The small Dragon Slayer rushed over to the bleeding Erza and quickly began to heal her wounds. "Are you alright, Erza?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm fine. Thanks for the save," Erza thanked with a kind smile.

Cana glared at the demon within her friend. "Get out of my friend or I'll drag you out!" she shouted, holding up another card threateningly.

" _ **Bring it, bitch!**_ "

The brunette hurled another Magic Card at the demon. Her intent was to injure her, thinking that if she was afraid for her life she'd leave Lucy's body and become vulnerable. That thinking was dashed, however, when Lucy/Lust slashed the card out of the air with Lucy's whip.

" _ **So, are you actually going to fight?**_ " the demon taunted. " _ **Or are parlor tricks the only thing you have**_?"

"Says the one who's using someone else to fight! Come out and fight like a woman!" Cana challenged.

" _ **Please, I'm a demon, sweetheart. And demons don't fight fair. Oh Taurus!**_ " she called out. " _ **Cana would like you to show some attention to her!**_ "

"MOOOOOOOOO!"

A large crash followed by the wall being destroyed revealed Taurus, snorting steam out of his nostrils as Lucy/Lust's words lit a fire in him. Lucy/Lust kicked his axe towards him and he picked it up.

Cana reached into her deck and pulled out another card. "Icicle!" The card lit up and Taurus found himself trapped within a pillar of ice, unable to move despite his strength. She pulled out another card and pointed it at Lucy/Lust. "This is your last warning! Let Lucy go! You've no chance with Taurus out of the picture!"

" _ **Silly girl, you're forgetting something.**_ " Lucy/Lust wagged a finger at Cana. " _ **Lucy's body is my body, remember? Whatever she can do, so can I. And as you well know…Lucy can summon more than one spirit.**_ " She held up another gold key. " _ **Open! Gate of the Lion!**_ "

"No!" gasped a horrified Cana.

" _ **Leo!**_

With a bright flash emerged Leo, the Lion Celestial Spirit, AKA Loki. Like Taurus, he showed the same sign of possession, telling her that trying to convince him to save Lucy was out of the equation. Still, Loki was a member of Fairy Tail and Cana couldn't help but try to reach out to him. "Loki! No! Lucy's in danger! You have to help us!"

Loki was silent as he held up a fist which began to glow from his channeling light. "Light of Regulus!" He then charged at Cana. The brunette threw a volley of Magic Cards at Loki but a bright flash disintegrated them. Further, the flash blinded Cana and left her vulnerable to Loki's attack. Cana felt ribs break as Loki punched her, sending her sprawling to the ground in a heap, coughing up blood as she struggled to breath.

" _ **Finish her,**_ " Lucy/Lust commanded as Loki stood over Cana.

"Loki…" Cana pleaded through clenched teeth. "Don't…."

Loki's shoe glowed as he prepared to stomp Cana's face in but the attack never came. A choked gurgle escaped his lips when an axe became embedded in his back, taking him down. Cana watched as the Spirit stumbled before disappearing back into the Celestial Spirit World. She looked up and saw Erza and Wendy next to her, the former having taken down Taurus. Cana tried to speak but only coughed up more blood.

Wendy crouched down and tried to work her Magic as fast as possible. "Don't speak! You've got a punctured lung!" she said, knowing she was in a battle against time to save Cana.

Sitting atop the railing on the second floor, Lucy/Lust merely shook her head. " _ **You've broken my new toys. Still,**_ " she held up Lucy's keys and rattled them. " _ **I've plenty more where that came from.**_ "

"I wouldn't try it," Erza said as she tossed away her axe and drew her scimitar. "If your body is Lucy's, then you should know that she can't summon multiple spirits at once without taxing her body."

Lucy/Lust tapped her chin, knowing that she was right. Though she was in possession of Lucy's body and Magic, Lust couldn't supplement any fatigue or energy Lucy lost with her own; it was the trade-off for the guaranteed protection. " _ **A fair point. Then why don't we get physical?**_ " She leapt off the railing and landed on her feet, drawing her whip again. " _ **I'll start with you, Erza. And then I'll finish off Cana and the brat.**_ "

"Fat chance!" Erza charged at Lucy/Lust, swinging her sword much to the horror of her comrades. Lucy/Lust dodged the strike and leapt to the side, slashing at Erza with her whip. Back and forth the two ladies went, dodging and striking at one another. The ruined brothel became much more destroyed as walls were gouged, furniture was split in two and multiple paintings ruined.

Erza started to pant as she started to tire out. ' _How is she so agile? Lucy is swift but she's-'_ Erza was knocked away by a powerful kick, the blow cracking her armor. She hit the wall in a daze and tried to stand up but Lucy/Lust put a heel to her chest, keeping her pinned. " _ **I assumed you'd be tougher than this. I guess you're so concerned about saving your friend you forgot about saving yourself.**_ " She held up the whip, ready to start beating Erza to death. " _ **Too bad for you.**_ " Erza braced herself for the blow but found that it never came. She looked up and saw that somebody had grabbed a hold of Lucy/Lust's wrist.

That somebody being Mirajane.

The waitress glared at her possessed friend. Her body had taken the form of her Demon Takeover, Satan Soul. Wrenching the whip from the blonde's hand, she threw Lucy/Lust into another wall and picked up Erza's Scimitar.

Lucy/Lust picked herself up but saw the advancing demoness with the sword in hand. " _ **You…you wouldn't!**_ "

Wendy and Cana both stared in horror and knew from the look in Mirajane's eyes that she was serious. "Mira! Don't! Please!"

"You've threatened our guild. You've hurt my friends. And now you've toyed with my friend's body like it's your personal plaything." Mirajane held up the scimitar and the runes etched into it started to glow. "Now you'll pay."

Lucy/Lust tried to jump out of the way but Mirajane was faster. She swung the weapon hard, the blade going right through Lucy's exposed midriff. Everyone watched in horror as Lucy fell to the ground…along with Lust beside her.

The blonde sat up and groaned. Her head felt like it had been stuffed with cotton. "Where am I?" she groaned before looking down. "What the hell? Why am I dressed like this?" She turned to see the demoness lying beside her and quickly crawled away in horror. "Whoa!"

Wendy blinked in confusion. "Wait…that wasn't a real sword."

Mirajane helped Erza to her feet. "No. It's one of Erza's special weapons." She handed her friend the Scimitar. "It's the evil-sealing sword: Rune Save. It dispels evil from one's body." She looked over at Cana and Wendy and smiled. "Erza used it all the time when we fought as kids. That's how I know."

"Oh…but why didn't you tell us?" Cana asked as she got onto her feet, feeling better now that her ribs weren't crushing her lungs.

"If we did, Lust would've known and she would have fled with Lucy's body. We had to make her think that we weren't willing to go through Lucy to get to her." Mirajane scooped up Lucy and carried her over to Wendy.

"Wait…" Wendy looked around. "What about Natsu, Juvia and Gray?"

"Juvia and Gray are… _occupied_ ," Mirajane said knowingly. "As for Natsu…."

Lust got to her feet, shaken from having been forced out of Lucy's body so suddenly. "You…you…" she started, trying to come up with an obscenity big enough for Mira. She pulled out her flute and smiled. "I guess you'll be the next person I get to doll up."

Mirajane dispelled her Satan Soul and pointed at Lust. "I don't think so, you should look behind you."

"FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!"

A burning fist punched Lust in the face. Staggering, Lust looked up to see Natsu standing over her, cracking his knuckles. "That was for putting Lucy in danger."

Getting up, Lust nursed her burned cheek. "Oh look, the hothead is back." She straightened up and summoned her flute back to her. Her eyes glared at Natsu with hot venom. "You look so much like them…."

"What?"

Lust took advantage of Natsu's confusion by sweeping her leg low, knocking Natsu off his feet. She promptly pounced like a jungle cat and sat to the boy's chest, her heels stabbing into his wrists and keeping him pinned with her inhuman strength. "You have no chance, Dragon Slayer. I'll kill you. I'll kill you all. And then I'll watch as my pretty little Lucy falls into despair before making her turn into one of us!"

"LIKE HELL!"

Mirajane and a rejuvenated Erza attacked Lust, forcing her to quickly get off of Natsu. "What are you demons planning?" Erza demanded as she swung her blade at Lust. Unfortunately the room wasn't big enough to use one of her more powerful armor so she had to limit herself to her already-cracked armor.

"Pride wants to Tree of Life. He seeks to give Yggdrasil a healthy dose of corruption, filling all the realms with sweet, sweet sin."

Still in her Satan Soul, Mirajane grabbed Lust and slammed her into the wall, pinning her. "Not if we have anything to say about it!" She tried desperately to use her Take Over on Lust but found it useless. "What?"

Lust laughed in Mirajane's face. "Oh please, don't insult me. I'm not some mindless demon born out of dark magic. I'm the literal embodiment of Lust created out of creation itself. You, on the other hand," she gripped the stunned Mirajane's face and leaned forward, "Are just Human."

"Mira!" Erza punched Lust in the face, keeping her from giving Mirajane a deadly kiss. "Are you okay?" She was shocked when Mirajane stumbled and her Satan Soul disappeared, leaving her human. "What's wrong?"

Mirajane opened her eyes and the whole world spun. "I can't…she was too much…."

"Oh dear, it seems that your friend bit off more than she could chew. Trying to take me over taxed her pretty body to its limit. That's what happens when you try to be a wannabe demon!" Lust taunted.

Natsu jumped over Erza and threw another fiery punch. Over and over again he attacked her, swiping her sides with his fiery fists. "Shut your mouth, damn you!" he shouted before eating Lust's elbow. He staggered backwards as Lust moved to kick him again, this time preparing to send him flying out of the brothel again. This time, however, Natsu recovered and caught her leg. "Got you!"

"Grrr! Let go!" She struggled to break free before putting her flute to her lips. ' _We'll see how long you can hold me when I put you into a never-ending sleep!_ ' She blew into her flute but no song came out. "What?" When she turned her flute over she saw that the end had been burned. The air couldn't escape the flute. ' _That's what he was after! He wasn't hitting me. He was trying to burn my flute!'_ "Damn you!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "NOT MY FLUTE!" She punched Natsu in the face, breaking his grip. The Dragon Slayer and female Wizards saw murder in her eyes. "How dare you! HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY FLUTE! I'LL KILL-"

She never finished.

Lust suddenly couldn't breathe. Looking down, she saw the scimitar impaled in her chest, the evil-fighting sword cutting through her demonic skin. Turning her head, Lust saw Lucy behind her, having retrieved the sword from Erza. "You…" she breathed.

It took all of Lucy's strength just to remain on her feet. Panting, she held the sword in her hands as she stared at her captor. "That…was for my…friends!" she said with a defiant look in her eyes.

As death came for Lust, the corruption that'd plagued her for so long became undone. Her body fell forward, the sword leaving her impaled body as she hit the floor. "No…I don't…I don't want to die…" Lust choked, blood spilling from her wound. The Fairy Tail Wizards watched in silence while Lust turned back to normal. Soon it wasn't the demon in tight black leather lying there, but Rosanna, the shamed songstress clad in tattered clothing.

Rolling onto her back, Rosanna felt tears running down her face as her life flashed before her eyes. She had so many regrets. "Mercurius… Icaro…" she called out.

Soon her vision darkened, leading to a light at the end of a tunnel. At the end she heard a familiar voice. Two of them, to be precise. " _Rosanna…it's over now. We're so sorry for what we've done. You can rest now….'_

Blood-stained lips choked as Rosanna recognized the voices of her long-dead lovers. ' _No…I'm the one who's sorry. I should have been honest. I should never have lied to you. I…I didn't want to break your hearts….'_

 _"We know. We shouldn't have let our father influence us. Now come, Rosanna. We want to hear you play again…."_

Rosanna clutched her burned flute to her heart and gave one last smile before breathing her last.

The group watched woman die and wondered what was going through her head as she went through her final moments, Erza recognizing how Envy/Camilla had a similar experience. The redhead helped Lucy up onto her feet after she'd slumped to the floor. "Are you okay?" she gently asked.

"I'm fine." Lucy slumped forward and let her friend hold her in her arms. "I just feel exhausted. And I really need to get out of these clothes," she lamented, ashamed of her current attire. She looked over at the dead Rosanna sadly. "Was there really nothing we could do for her?"

Erza turned and nodded, helping Lucy walk away. "I'm afraid it's for the best. The wound you inflicted could not have been mended by Wendy after she'd used up so much of her Magic. I think we can all take comfort that she died in peace at the very least."

Natsu nodded. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask but where's Gray and Juvia?"

Mirajane giggled. "Oh, like I told Wendy, they're very busy!"

Helping Lucy walk, Erza merely smiled. "We should be glad for this victory. Now that's two of the Seven Deadly Sins down. Five to-"

Erza was cut off when she felt something beneath her feet. A small rumbling that began to grow…and grow…and grow until the entire brothel started to shake. Eyes widening, she turned to her friends.

"RUN!"

To be continued


	12. Wrath's Warpath

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

 _Chapter Ten: Wrath's Warpath_

 **Rosemary & Thyme**

The Fairy Tail wizards all scrambled out of the brothel at top speed, Natsu carrying a weakened Lucy. The Dragon Slayer turned around and looked back at the abandoned whorehouse. "Wait, where's Gray and Juvia?" he asked, not seeing the Ice Maker or the Rain Woman anywhere.

Wendy gasped when she remembered that they'd forgotten about their two comrades in the midst of fighting lust. "Oh no! They're still in there! We have to get them or-"

The Air Dragon Slayer was interrupted when the Rosemary & Thyme suddenly was smashed to pieces as a huge creature crashed through it, turning the place into smashed splinters. The group jumped out of the way in all directions as the creature thundered past them.

Cana looked up in confused horror as she tried to see what had just tried to kill them. "Is that a…giant pig?!"

The girl called it a pig but it had to be the biggest swine they'd seen in their lives. The creature, as big as their guildhall, was armored in black armor plating. Fire erupted from its huge feet, sending waves of flame in all directions as it stamped in place, making everyone jump back. As the creature turned to face Erza and Mirajane, they saw two huge tusks pointed right at them. The huge pig looked down at them with huge, eyes while black smoke billowing out of its snout.

"Oh dear," came a voice from atop the giant pig. "You've killed Lust as well. Guess the Sins are now a gentlemen's club," Greed lamented, looking down at the team of Wizards. "I tip my hat to you, Fairy Tail. To think you've killed not just one but two of us."

Natsu raised a burning fist up at Greed. "Why don't you come down here and we'll make it three for three!"

Greed threw his head back and laughed. "Ahahah! Why don't you come up and try?" he goaded. "Or are you afraid of a little splash, matchstick?"

"Grrr!"

Wendy and Cana stopped him from charging the pig. "Natsu don't! Remember what happened last time!" Wendy pleaded.

"What's the matter, matchstick? Are you chicken? Or should I bring out my feathered friend again since you're so eager for a new playmate."

"What do you want?" Erza demanded. "And don't try to avoid the question like last time!" She pointed her sword up at Greed. "You've been here well before we arrived! So why have you been skulking in the shadows?"

The dark-skinned man grinned. "Why indeed?" he taunted. "The short of it is that I wanted to welcome our new friend after our sexy temptress dealt with all of you. She wanted to gather you Fairy Tail girls together to form her own demonic harem. That's why she called out all of you. Lust was always fickle like that, playing with others like a child playing with dolls."

"But then why'd she let us bring Natsu and Gray?" Wendy asked.

"Oh, you never know when you need a spare," Greed replied, giving a glance to the ruined brothel where Rosanna's body now lie, undoubtedly smashed to pieces in the giant pig's rampage. "Pride and Lust agreed to keep a few strong individuals at arm's reach after you introduced little Envy to the pointy end of your sword." He tapped his staff against the armor on the pig's back. "Zhū, let us be off."

"Where do you think you're going?" Natsu screamed in frustration. "Get back here and fight, damn it!"

"Oh, we'll meet again. I just wanted to keep you on your toes. Besides, you've bigger things to worry about…"

The others watched as the giant pig turned and thundered away, leaving burning footprints in its wake. "That thing came very close to crushing us," Cana breathed, wiping the sweat from her brow.

Lucy turned towards the ruined brothel, her heart dropping in her stomach as she saw no sign of her friends. Tears ran down her face as the realization that Juvia and Gray had been crushed in the pig's rampage hit her. "Gray…Juvia…"

"'We're safe and sound,' Gray says."

Everyone turned and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw another of Lucy's spirits, Horologium, the clock spirit. "Horologium! You got Juvia and Gray?" Lucy asked. "And…why are you turned around?" she asked.

"Oh! Well, Mistress…when I saved your friends…they were um…well…" Horologium sputtered, its cheeks turning red with embarrassment. "'Oh Gray! This is a dream come true!' Ms. Juvia says."

Erza walked around and took a look inside Horologium's hollow body. Her face turned as red as her hair when she saw that her friends were okay but… "Lucy, call Virgo," she ordered.

"Why?"

"Clothes. We need clothes. Now."

 _ **Later…  
**_ **Fairy Tail Guildhall**

"So let me get this straight…" Erza started, her arms crossed while she gave the two a stern glare. "You two were busy getting it on while we were fighting for our lives?" she demanded.

Gray had hoped that Juvia could explain that she'd not been in control of her actions but the girl had been in a stupor since they'd emerged from Horologium buck naked. She literally had a silly smile on her face while she had pink hearts in her eyes.

"Well…Juvia was possessed by that demon and after pushing me to the ground she…well…" Gray could feel the eyes of everyone in the guild on them and felt a little shame knowing that his friends had risked their lives to save Lucy while he got lucky with a brainwashed Juvia.

Makarov interrupted the lecturing Erza. "Be that as it may, once again we were lucky. Your sense of timing is impeccable, Erza. If you hadn't sensed that pig coming I've no doubt it'd flattened all of you."

Sitting next to Happy and Sting, Natsu pondered about the huge monster that'd attacked them. "Yeah, what was with that weird pig? And do you think it'd taste good?"

Sting shrugged before chuckling. "Seriously? Natsu, that pig tried to kill you and you're wondering if it tastes good?"

"Why not? Pork's good no matter how big it is." He held up a burning hand. "Next time he shows up with that pig, I'm gonna barbecue that sucker!"

Lucy, having recovered from Lust's possession, thought about it. "That pig…looked familiar…"

"That's because Zhū is a Celestial Spirit, Lucy."

The guild all turned to see Loki appear. "Loki! Are you okay?" Cana asked.

"I'm fine. As soon as I returned to the Celestial Spirit World the brainwashing that the demon had over me was undone." Taking off his glasses, Loki bowed low in front of Cana. "Cana, I'm so sorry. Me and Taurus are ashamed of ourselves for what we've done."

"It's alright. You weren't yourself," Cana said before giving Loki a hug.

Makarov spoke to the spirit, "Loki, what do you mean? Are you telling us that Greed is a Celestial Spirit Wizard too?"

"It'd make sense," Elfman noted. "His is Greed after all. He must have all sorts of tricks up his sleeve."

Loki put his glasses back on and turned to address his guild master. "I'm afraid that it's worse than you think. Greed isn't just any Celestial Spirit Wizard. He has in his possession the Amber Keys of the Eastern Zodiac."

Lucy gasped. "What? But those were just legends! The Amber Keys haven't been seen-"

"In over fifty years. Precisely the amount of time Greed's been sealed away, hence the legends," Makarov explained. "I've heard of them long ago and only in passing reference. What are these spirits?"

Sighing, Loki sat down before he began. "We don't like to talk about them. They are something that many of us wish to forget about." He looked up at his owner. "You see, they were born from constellations in the Far East. But the Celestial Spirit King was frightened by their terrible powers. He feared that their power was something that no one wizard should have. Even a single key could be enough to topple a kingdom in the right hands. So he gathered the keys and gave them to a guardian on an island in the middle of nowhere to hide them from the world. You've already met two of them, correct?"

"Yeah, one was an ugly chicken and now we were almost trampled by a giant pig in armor," Lucy said.

"I know. Horologium informed me about Zhū. The others are just as monstrous. They take the form of horrific animals. They aren't like us, Lucy. They are created solely to destroy."

"I take it Greed is the guardian?" Kaguya asked.

"No. This was almost six hundred years ago. The keys were created along with a special key ring. The ring is meant to draw the other keys to it. Over time several of the keys had been stolen from the island but they always came back, one way or the other. Greed must be no doubt a descendent of the original guardian."

"Still, we've no idea what their next move is," Cana said.

"And what did Greed when he said we have bigger problems?"

Makarov took a long puff of his pipe before answering. "I think I know. I've been in touch with Master Bob at Blue Pegasus after Ichiya and his team never arrived."

Erza went rigid. "You mean they're…"

"We can only assume the worst," Makarov said. "For now, all we can do is wait…"

Gray turned his head and blushed. "Uh…what should we do about Juvia?" he asked, pointing to his friend who was still in a happy stupor.

"Leave her. I don't think we should interrupt her glee."

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **Road to Magnolia**

"Pathetic," Wrath spat as he held up Ichiya by the throat. Despite the man's best efforts, his Perfume Magic was no match against the hulking brute. Nearby lay his defeated men, having been dispatched with ease.

Ren struggled to his feet, blood spilling from his side. "Let Master Ichiya go!" He held up his hand and unleashed a blast of Air Magic. "Air Shot!" He watched as the blast shot towards Wrath, who didn't even budge an inch at the strike. The attack hit him in the back but it didn't even make the demon say so much as "ouch". Without even turning to look at him, Wrath swung his arm. Ren choked blood as Wrath's mighty longsword slashed his chest.

"Damn you!" Ichiya spat. He reached into his pocket and took out his secret weapon. Popping the cork, he inhaled the sweet aroma and started to swell to a herculean physique. Knocking Wrath's arm aside, Ichiya threw a hefty punch at the man's face. "Don't touch my men!"

Wrath caught the fist with ease, his armored hand catching Ichiya's attack. "Your men…"

 _Crunch!_

"Gahhhhhh!" shrieked Ichiya as Wrath crushed his fist.

"Are as weak as you." Gripping his blood-soaked sword, Wrath brought it over his head. "I'll make your death as ugly as your face."

"You will not."

The demon turned his head and saw that he had a new opponent. Before him stood the Wizard Saint, Jura of Lamia Scale.

Letting Ichiya crumple to the ground, Wrath turned and stomped towards the man. The two men stared at each other as they squared off. Finally, Wrath smiled. "Finally, a challenge…"

To be continued


	13. Wrath Vs Jura

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

 _Chapter Thirteen: Jura Vs. Wrath_

 **Road outside Magnolia**

The Wizard Saint Jura stared down his opponent. He'd been told by Makarov through his messages of what the Seven Deadly Sins looked like but even he had to admit that this being was a spectacle to behold.

Wrath stood over the fallen Ichiya, a hulking brute. He looked every bit the demon that Makarov warned him about. Though his eyes were hooded, Jura could see glowing red eyes peeking through the darkness, ash white hair spilling down his shoulders, heavily contrasting against the black armor he wore.

"Step away from Ichiya-dono," Jura demanded.

"Fine," Wrath grunted as he moved away from the defeated Blue Pegasus member. "He was weak anyway. They were all weak," he spat as he held his broadsword, blood dripping the edge. "Fifty years in slumber and I find myself in a world of weaklings."

Jura's brow furrowed. If he had any hair on his head it would've stood up on end from the dark vibes that the demon was putting off. He slowly started to walk sideways, the two combatants circling each other. Both of them stared intently at their opponent, each daring the other to make the first move. "You'll find your overconfidence to be your undoing," Jura replied harshly.

"Funny. That's exactly what the master of Quatro Cerberus said…before I choked the life out of him," Wrath taunted. "First those Fairy Tail cretins, then the Cerberus whelps and now these Pegasus reprobates," he gestured to Ichiya's fallen team. "I've yet to find someone capable of giving me a worthy fight. But," his burning eyes at Jura's imposing figure. "Perhaps you might be good for a warmup."

Jura stopped sidestepping and took a fighting stance, readying his strength. "We shall see who is the warmup, demon!" he defiantly said. "I am Jura, of Lamia Scale and I will not fall to the likes of you."

Wrath tilted his head back as he appraised Jura. Though Jura couldn't see his face, he could've sworn the demon was giving him an acknowledging look. "I am Wrath. And you," he held his sword in both hands and took a stance. "shall know the pain of my sword, Crimson Tide."

For a moment, the whole world stood still as the combatants faced off, neither moving a inch. Jura flexed his muscles as he prepared his Earth Magic, tensing up like a predator ready to pounce.

A second felt like an eternity and yet when that second ended the whole earth seemed to shake as Wrath made the first move. With speed that contrasted his heavy form, the massive demon lunged forward, his sword held high while he moved, ready to cut the Wizard Saint in half with one fell swing. Jura moved away at the last second, his reflexes sparing him the fate of bifurcation and he skidded backward. The area that the sword touch exploded, debris raining in all directions from the mighty blow. Holding up a hand, he gathered his strength and assailed the demon with earth. "Hrmph!"

The ground beneath Wrath opened up, pillars of earth shooting up around the demon in its wake and forming spears, shooting at Wrath to perforate him. With a single armored hand, Wrath smashed a spear with his fist, jumping out of reach of the others through the window he created. Jura braced himself as the black demon rocketed towards him, the tip of his sword pointed right at his head. Wrath buried his sword in the ground, making the area explode all around him from the force of the blow. The flying debris obscured Jura's vision and he only had but the briefest of moments to see Wrath's next attack coming, summoning a pillar of earth to block the attack.

' _Such speed!'_ Jura noted as he dodged the sword by a hair. ' _He is no mere demon. He fights not like a Wizard but like a warrior.'_ He held up another hand and summoned a barrage of boulders from the earth. Wrath cursed as he was bombarded by Jura's attacks. He kept his arms up and let his armor protect him from the worst of the attacks. Jura pressed his attack by calling back the boulders. "Try and slash this!"

"Guh!" Wrath cursed as he became buried in an avalanche of boulders, the rocks coming at him too fast for him to block. Soon he became entombed in the rubble.

Jura borught his hands together, ready to finish off the demon once and for all. "Supreme King Rock-"

 _Boom!_

Out of the rubble erupted red spears. Jura summoned a rock wall to block them. He first thought that it was enough to protect him but he saw cracks form from his side of the wall and immediately jumped out of the way before the spears broke through. He turned and saw Wrath's hulking figure in the middle of the large crater that emerged from the geyser of spears. ' _No…not spears…'_ he noted as he took another look. ' _Blood.'_ It made sense to Jura. A demon of Wrath who used a sword that constantly emitted blood from it would almost certainly hold power over it. ' _This will not be so easy.'_

Wrath himself was thinking the same thing. He looked down at his black armor and saw the dents in it, knowing that he was in for a real fight this time. He swung his sword in a wide arc, sending a wave of red blood into the air. "Sanguniem pluviis."

The blood turned into a wave of red spears and rained down on Jura's head. The Wizard Saint held up his hands and summoned rock walls to protect him from the barrage. He saw the demon speed towards him and clenched his teeth. He made a fist and puched the air. "Rock Fist!"

The fallen boulders all came alive again to form a giant rock fist and launched towards Wrath. The demon scowled behind his cowl and swung his sword, destroying the fist. Jura took the opportunity to get out from behind his shelter to flank the demon. "Take this!" he shouted, creating a massive rock fist above demon. "Raaaaah!" He brought his hand down and smashed the giant fist into Wrath. Jura panted as he struggled to get his breath. "So fast and so strong. I haven't faced an opponent so strong since Laxus-dono. In fact…"

The ground beneath Jura's feet rumbled, giving him no warning before a geyser of burning hot blood erupted beneath his feet, catapaulting him into the air. Another rumbling sound came from the rock fist and out shot Wrath, shooting towards Jura.

Even off the ground, Jura was no weakling. He held out his hand and summoned a pillar of earth, landing on it. He then used a new trick, covering his arms in rock and hardening it to its limt. He jumped off the pillar and met Wrath head on. Jura's protection kept his arm from being cut in to when he blocked the strike with his arm. The Wizard then aimed his next attack at Wrath's face, only for the demon to grab it before the strike could reach him. "You're quite good," Wrath noted.

"As are you," Jura replied. "Such a shame one as strong as you is corrupted to the core."

"Corrupted?" Wrath barked. "I was always filled with rage from the start. I merely embraced it. Like this!"

Letting go of his sword and letting the heavy weapon fall to the ground, Wrath balled his fist and socked Jura in the chest. The man coughed blood as he felt ribs crack. Steeling himself, he returned the punch with one of his own, this time his attack hitting Wrath right in the face.

Gravity decided to remember it was there and the two men fell to the earth. Landing on his feet, Jura knew he couldn't let Wrath return to his sword. "I'm ending this, here and now!" he declared. He had no idea how much longer he could keep this up and had to end the fight before exhaustion took its toll. Putting his hands together, he summoned a whole hoard of rock fists. "Rahhhh!"

Wrath's burning red eyes started to smolder as the demon concentrated his power. He held up his hand and Crimson Tide shot up and sped towards its master, much to Jura's shock and horror. Griping his bloody blade, he stabbed his blade into the ground. "Mare Rubrum."

In front of Wrath erupted red blood, creating a huge wave. The rock fists came into contact with the wall of blood but melted as soon as it touched it, the blood as hot as magma.

Jura's eyes widened as the wave of blood neared him. He could dodge it but…"Ichiya-dono!" He realized that if he didn't do something, the Blue Pegasus members would be killed. With all the speed his body had left he barreled towards the fallen Wizards.

Wrath watched as his foe disappeared in the wake of his attack. This time it was he who was panting and fighting to get a second wind. He had to admit, this was the most entertaining fight he had since waking up. "Starnge, I though him capable of avoiding such a slow attack. Hmm?"

He saw a huge barrier in the distance. When the wall crumbled to pieces, it revealed a panting Jura, his bald forehead shining from the sweat beading off of it. If only that was the reason for his struggle for breath…

"Pathetic," Wrath spat when he saw Jura's burned arms. "You could have saved yourself, yet you foolishly put yourself on the line for those beneath you."

Jura's brow furrowed in anger. "There is no such thing as weaker or stronger. The only difference between us is conviction." He ignored his burned arms and brought his hands together. "For the sake of my friends, I will destroy you." Focusing all of his power, he launched his final attack at the demon.

"Rumbling Mt. Fuji!"

The demon was caught off guard and caught in the eruption of power. "Grahhhhhhh!" His black visage disappeared in the midst of the torrent of power that shot up out of the ground like a volcano.

Seeing the demon disappear, Jura dropped to his knees, fighting to breath. He'd forced away the pain of his burned arms by sheer force of will but the exhaustion brought it back. He looked up and saw no sign of Wrath emerge from the crater that replaced him and breathed a sigh of relief. "It's over," he panted. He turned to the wounded member of Blue Pegasus. "I must see to Ichiya-dono and the others. Wendy-dono of Fairy Tail and Chelia should be able to-"

Jura stopped in his tracks when he felt the ground rumble.

"It's over? Oh I agree."

Whirling around, Jura gaped when he saw Wrath emerged from the crater, his black armor smoldering. Clutching his bleeding sword, Wrath grinned beneath his cowl. "It's time to end this…"

"How?" Jura gasped, putting up a defensive stance. "How can you still be alive?"

"A man can survive anything if he's stubborn enough," Wrath replied. "Or to be it more bluntly: rage is a hell of an anesthetic." He held up an arm and smiled. "Since you've gotten so serious, I suppose I should as well…"

Jura gasped when he noticed something about Wrath's arm. In the wake of his last attack, a piece of black armor had been blasted away, revealing the skin beneath. "Impossible!"

The air shuddered as fire erupted from Wrath's eyes. "As a reward for giving me a good workout, I'll show you my true form!"

 _ **Later…  
**_ **Fairy Tail Guildhall**

Lyon paced back and forth, the worry plain on his face. "Lyon, calm down," Gray told his friend. "Jura's fine. I mean, it's Jura we're talking about."

The white-haired man stopped and sighed. He knew that his friend was right but he couldn't fight the feeling that something was wrong. "He should be here by now. Both him and the Blue Pegasus group should be here. The fact that he hasn't…"

Behind him sat his teammates, Sherry and Chelia. Both of them looked as worried as Lyon was.

Sitting in his usual spot, Makarov took a long puff of his pipe, the look on his face grim. "We have to assume the worst. Jura's a levelheaded man. If he thought that Ichiya and the others were in danger, then he most undoubtedly would have found trouble."

Laxus scowled. "Yeah but this is Jura we're talking about. He's practically a one-man army. Take it from someone who's traded fists with the guy."

Lyon sighed and nodded "I suppose you're-"

"HELP!"

Every head in the guild turned to see four men shamble into the room. Erza gasped when she saw the state the group was in. "Ichiya!"

The members of Blue Pegasus could barely stand. Ren shouldered his friend Eve, bleeding from the wound Wrath gave him. "Please…help Master Ichiya and Jura!" the man pleaded.

"REN!" Sherry screamed, running to her husband's side. "Chelia! Wendy! Come quick!"

Lyon and Chelia ran to them, but their most pressing concern lay with the man that Ichiya was carrying. "JURA!"

The man was barely breathing. Covered in blood, most of it his own, Jura's eyes flickered open, the briefest indicator that he was still alive. "What happened?" Lyon demanded. "Who did this?!"

"Wrath," Ichiya wheezed. Setting Jura down, his muscular body wilted away to his normal form. "It was the demon Wrath. We were no match for him. Jura saved us but even he fell."

Natsu's team was stunned. They felt after taking down Envy and Lust that separately the demons could be taken down. But to see Jura, one of the strongest Wizards in the continent, reduced to clinging to every breath as if it was his last, was shocking. Erza processed the situation before she realized something critical.

"Wait a minute…where's Hibiki?!"

To be continued


	14. A Desperate Search

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail**

 _Chapter Fourteen: A Desperate Search_

 **Castle Molkihar**

The demon in shining armor stood in the audience chamber, tapping his foot patiently as he waited for his fellow demon. The only sound in the quiet chamber was the soft snoring of Sloth, still asleep on his couch. Pride hoped that things would progress more smoothly now that their mission had taken more focus.

Still, it bothered him that their group was now two members down, and at the hands of the exact same people no less. ' _Obviously something must be done about this Fairy Tail…'_ He'd heard the rumors and looked up at the sky through the holes in the ceiling before casting his gaze down at the tree emblazoned on his shield. ' _If I could but find Yggdrasil. This Wizard guild would be dispatched with ease.'_

The clinking off to the side snapped Pride out of his musings. He turned towards the shaman as he entered the room. "What news, Greed?"

Leaning on his bejeweled staff, the shaman smiled. "I've heard rumors. None of them good."

Pride wasn't perturbed by his friend's smile. Greed, ever the underdog, loved a challenge. "And what of Wrath? He has been gone too long and has not reported in."

"We must assume he has fallen like Envy and Lust. I suppose this is what we get for sending a brute to do a demon's job."

A sharp, boisterous voice roared from the front of the chamber. "Hold your tongue, Greed! Lest I cut it out for you!"

The two men watched as the hulking Wrath lumbered into the audience chamber. Pride noted the ruined armor on the man and his bloodied face. "Such wounds," he noted as the man neared him. "I take it you found a worthy opponent?"

Dragging a carcass behind him, Wrath rolled his shoulder, feeling bones pop. "He was adequate at first. But he soon bored me after I unleashed my full fury on him."

Walking around to see what Wrath was dragging, Greed poked the body with a stick. "How courteous, Wrath. You brought Gluttony a snack?"

"Wrong." Wrath grabbed Hibiki and held him up. Pride heard shallow breathing and knew the man was still alive. "I found something that might help us."

"Is this the young man you were referring to before you lost contact?" Pride questioned. "He seems more dead than alive."

Dropping Hibiki onto the floor, Wrath merely scoffed. "He might be a little bruised but he's still breathing. I saw that magic he was using. It allowed him to access an Archive of magic." He looked down at the man while he groaned and curled into a ball at his feet. "We can use him to find Tree of Life."

"I see," Greed noted, looking down at the boy as if he'd found a piece of gold. "Quite the catch. Well done, Wrath."

"Indeed, well done, my old friend." Crouching down, Pride gave the Blue Pegasus Wizard a gentle nudge. "Young man, wake up."

Coughing up blood, Hibiki blinked before he realized he was standing at the feet of not one, but three demons. "Where…where am I?"

"You're our guest," Greed grinned. "Welcome to Castle Molkihar."

"Castle…Molkihar?" Hibiki repeated, a flicker of recognition in his eyes.

A thin smile spread across Pride's lips. "Ah yes, I see you recognize this place." Standing up, he stretched his arm out and gestured to the ruined audience chamber. "Although you'll agree that its halcyon days are far into the past. This was once the home of a very wise and powerful lord." His eyes flicked up to the old, torn banner over the throne. "He was an honorable man but he had a single flaw: his mistress. A simple maid she was but her beauty captivated him. Of course," he turned back to Hibiki and his smile grew, although the Wizard could see the shadow of anger in his eyes, "you can deduce what happened when she was discovered by everyone, and with child no less. The man's dignity and honor at stake, he cast her out. Dejected and penniless, the maid died in childbirth. Her child, the lord's son, was given to the Order of Yggdrasil to be raised as a monk. Of course, when that boy became a man, and when that man became something far greater, he returned his birthplace to show his father that pride goes before the fall."

Hibiki, being a smart man, knew where this story was going. "That boy…was it-"

"Ah, but that's ancient history. You must excuse my distraction." Pride said, the evil look on his face all the answer Hibiki needed. "I keep my mind in the here and now, where it belongs. And what is here and now is you." He nodded at Greed and Wrath, the two stepping back. "I must ask that you cooperate, young man. Torture has never been my taste."

Hibiki knew what the man wanted. "I'll never help you!"

The evil smile on Pride's face grew. "We'll see. But I can't have you help us while you're beaten and bloodied." Pride reached into his satchel and pulled out an object.

"Might I offer you an apple?"

Hibiki stared at the red fruit before he clenched his teeth. "No!" He knew this was some sort of trick and he wasn't going to fall for it. He swatted the apple out of the demon's hand and glared at him.

Pride shook his head as he watched the apple roll onto the floor. "A pity. But if you insist…" he stood back up, "Sloth?"

On the couch, the lanky man in prison garbs opened in eye. "Hmm?"

"Perhaps you can make our guest more cooperative?" he suggested.

Hibiki watched as the demon lazily got to his feet, his blank, unfocused eyes staring at the Blue Pegasus Wizard. "St-stay away!" Hibiki shouted, trying to crawl away, only for his path to be barred by Wrath. He turned and saw Sloth standing over him. His scared eyes turned to the multiple needles in his hands. "No!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

Gajeel sniffed the air, looking around. "This way."

Behind him walked the group that had gone to save Hibiki. After figuring out that the demons wanted to use his Archive magic, they set off to save their friend. It was decided that Natsu, Erza, Kagura, Sting, Rogue, Gajeel and Gray would go find him, Lucy still recovering and Elfman and the others remaining behind to defend the guild. The group had linked up with Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe, who'd been searching for the demons since Envy's attack. Wendy would have gone with them but she was needed to help heal the wounded Blue Pegasus members and Jura.

Returning to the scene of Jura's fight with Wrath. Finding a piece of Hibiki's clothing, Gajeel used his sensed his smell to track him, guiding the group towards the location where he'd been taken.

"Any idea where we are?" Sting asked as Erza cut through the foliage in front of them. Their journey took them to a dense forest, untamed by man in years.

"If I remember right," Erza said as she cut through more vines, "There's a ruined castle in these parts. If the Sins wanted to hide somewhere, it'd be the perfect place to hide."

As Erza cut through the last of the vines barring their way, they entered a large clearing. In the distance was a castle, sticking out of the mountainside like a rotting wound. "That must be it," Sting said as they looked at it. "It's certainly as ominous as you can get for a demon hangout."

Kagura turned to Erza. "What's the plan?"

"Our main focus is finding Hibiki. With his Archive magic, it's possible that the demons could gain access to knowledge pertaining to the Tree of Life. Fighting the remaining five demons can wait. Right now, saving Hibiki is our goal."

Gajeel scowled. He sniffed the air and his expression hardened. "They might have already broken that soft idiot." He cocked his head towards his fellow Dragon Slayers. "You smell it too, don't you?"

"Smell what?" Gray asked.

Rogue bristled as he and Sting stared at the castle. "Blood. I can smell it, even from here."

"Then we don't have a lot of time. Let's go."

The group met no obstruction on the way to Castle Molkihar. Entering the ruined courtyard, they saw numerous skeletons littering the place, some with rusted, decayed armor. "This was a slaughter," Kagura noted as she leaned down to examine one of the skeletons. "Whoever did this was good." Even though it was old, she could still see the wounds on it.

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked, poking one of the skulls with a finger.

"This was all done by one man."

"You're sure?" Erza asked.

"Positive," the Mermaid Heel said after she examined several of the slash marks on the armored skeletons.

Gajeel stormed past them, stomping on several skulls in his path. "Whoever did this isn't important right now. We got a job to do, and I'm itching to make those assholes pay!" He reached the huge doors to the castle and cracked his knuckles. "Nothing says hello like knocking down a door."

 _WHAM!_

The doors yielded easily to the Iron Dragon Slayer. The group entered the castle, keeping their guard up. Natsu lit up his hand with flame to light their path through the dark corridor. The came across an audience chamber with several staircases leading in different directions off to the side. "We'll split up," Erza decided. "We'll cover more ground this way." She turned to the others. "Sting and Rogue, you check out the audience chamber. Natsu, Gray and Gajeel, you three go downstairs. Kagura and I will check the upper floors. Laxus, you and the Thunder God Tribe search the grounds."

Nodding, the group slit up in four directions. Kagura followed Erza up the staircase, entering the second floor. They started searching rooms one by one but found no sign of Hibiki or the Sins. "I don't like this," Erza said as they searched the top floor. "There's no sign of anyone."

As they entered a room at the top of the tallest tower, Kagura spoke her mind. "This feels like a trap. They must have known we'd come after Hibiki. So what are they planning?"

Erza gave no answer. She searched the room for any clues about the sins. She noted how extravagant the room was and figured that it must have belonged to the lord who lived here. When she passed by a portrait hanging on the wall, her eyes lit up with recognition. "Wait a minute, that's-"

"Urgh!"

Whirling around, the redhead gasped when she saw a dark shadow looming over her. Clad in reforged black armor, Wrath gripped Kagura by the throat tightly as he stared at the Armored Wizard.

"Finally," Wrath grinned from beneath his cowl. "Worthy opponents."

To be continued


	15. Origin of Sin: Wrath

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

 _Chapter Twelve: Origin of Sin: Wrath_

 _ **Let us now turn back the clock to view a past long forgotten…**_

Aragoth stood at the top of the cliff, watching the battle wage before him from atop his warhorse. The commander of the Hell Dragons stood tall in his red armor. Behind him his retinue of guards kept their distance, knowing their commander's temperament.

Their fear was quite justified. Aragoth was a mountain of a man. He was distinguishable amongst his fellow knights. Unlike his shining, silver armored compatriots, the long-haired man wore crimson red armor, a dragon emblazoned on the pauldrons. On his back was his feared sword, Crimson Tide.

One of the knights, a female with long, ebony hair, rode up to her. "It's not going well…" she noted. "We're being pushed back."

Aragoth spoke in a gruff, stern voice, his eyes fixed on the battle. "Reinforcements?"

The girl shook her head. "We've received word they're on their way but…"

"It'll be too late." The man stepped off his warhorse and reached for Crimson Tide. "I'm going down there."

"That is inadvisable…"

A second person rode up to them. Sweat gleaming from his bald head, the man looked at the commander and scowled. "To rush into battle is folly. You're quite clearly outnumbered."

"Perhaps, Iago," Aragoth noted, saying his advisor's name with contempt. "But never outmatched."

The girl continued to show worry. "But…father, don't you think you should wait?"

"Ariana," Aragoth glared at his daughter. "In battle, you will address me appropriately."

The girl nodded, knowing she was forgetting protocol. "Of course…Commander."

Ignoring his page and his advisor, Aragoth leapt off the cliff, throwing himself into the battle. While Ariana continued to watch the man turn the battle into a slaughter, Iago turned away and huffed. "Mongrel…"

 _ **Later…**_

Staring deep into the campfire under the stars, Aragoth sat on a log, sharpening his sword while a pot of stew cooked over the fire. He sat on top of the hill, the rest of his men camping at the foot of it. Aragoth considered it to be important for the commander to observe his men from a higher position to keep watch over them, providing them with the comfort of his watchful eye.

He cast a glance to Iago's tent, his expression wrinkling when he saw the shadow of the toady advisor talking with his daughter. After a few shouts, Ariana stormed out of the tent and made her way over to her commander/father. "What an arrogant pighead!" she groaned before sitting down next to Aragoth.

The man grunted as he poured the young warrior a bowl of stew. "More of his sniveling cowardice?"

Ariana nodded before eating a spoonful of stew. "He keeps griping about the way you jump into battle. He says you don't care about your own life. That's why you fight so viciously."

"Is that what you think, lieutenant?" Aragoth asked, staring into the fire.

The young daughter looked at her father with a cautious glare. Her father was always testing her physically and mentally and she didn't know if this was another test. "I think you really love to fight."

"Yes…and no…" Aragoth answered. He looked up and surveyed the men below. "Battle is a part of me. It's in my blood." He glanced over at his daughter. "It's in your blood. But it's more than that." He turned back to the men below. "I took action because I care for the lives of my men. As their commanding officer I am responsible for their lives. To simply stare and watch as they're cut down because of tactics is sheer idiocy. They are my men. I refuse to sit by just because some coward advises otherwise."

"I don't like him…" Ariana pouted, putting her hands under her chin to support her head. "Why is he even here? Can't we win the war by ourselves?"

"My superiors seem to think he's useful. I have to confer with him tomorrow morning about our next move."

Ariana put down the bowl and stood up. "Well, get some rest then. You'll need it. Good night, father." The girl gave her father a quick hug before returning to her tent.

Aragoth watched her leave, the shadow of a smile on his face. "Good night, daughter…" He looked out onto his resting men and felt pride fill his heart. These were good men, strong men who'd fought at his side for years. It wasn't just his responsibility to lead them, it was an honor.

The man clenched a fist as he thought of today's battle and the battles to come in the coming weeks. But he knew he would be there to lead his men.

 _ **The next morning…**_

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Aragoth slammed his armored fist down onto the table, cracking the fine polished wood. "That's a death trap, Iago!"

The bald man was unimpressed by Aragoth's rage, his own bodyguards standing at the back of the tent. Ariana stood next to her father, a look of similar outrage on her face. "Our orders were clear. We're to march through the gorge and intercept the enemy army."

His rage growing by the second, Aragoth pointed at the map. "Take a look, you simpleton! Our enemy has fled into the gorge and will be expecting us to follow!" He pointed to a specific area on the map. "That is a huge chokepoint! Our men will only be able to get through a few men at a time. They'll be slaughtered!"

Iago laughed, a cold sound that filled the tent. "What's the matter? Has the great commander of the Hell Dragons suddenly become a coward? Or is it that you can't charge in and hog all the glory for yourself?"

Aragoth snapped. He'd taken Iago's snide comments during the campaign for days but to have him openly insult both him and his men was too much to stomach. He grabbed Iago by the neck and lifted him off his feet. "You…POMPOUS LITTLE TOAD!" He reached for his sword.

"Father, no!"

Though Aragoth's speed was well known, the speed of Iago's bodyguards was greater. A blow to the side of the head by one of their clubs made him drop Iago. While Ariana fended off one of the attackers, Iago took the opportunity to draw a small dagger from his robe and stab Aragoth in the side. Though it didn't strike anything critical, Aragoth found his limbs go numb in seconds.

"Father!" Ariana cried out as her father crumbled to the ground.

Iago put his foot over Aragoth's head. "Amazing what a few drops of Sunfire snake venom can do. Even an ogre like you goes down like a baby."

"Iago…you…"

"Silence!" the treacherous advisor sneered as he stomped on Aragoth's head. "Aragoth Stromforg, to openly strike at me, one of the king's advisors, is a crime of utmost severity. I hereby charge you with treason and sedition in addition to dereliction of duty because of your cowardice." He gave a glance to the girl, who'd been subdued by his men as well. "As your second-in-command, I hereby declare your daughter, Ariana, as temporary commander under my command. Perhaps she'll be braver than her cowardly father." He nodded to his men. "Take him away. Keep him subdued until he's in the capitol's dungeons."

Aragoth snarled as the men picked him up and dragged him away. "IAGO! YOU SNAKE! YOU'LL KILL ALL MY MEN!"

Ariana ran out after them until Iago grabbed her by the arm. "Let me go, you-"

"Now, now…" Iago cupped her face and dug his sharp nails into her skin. "I wouldn't try the same trick as your daddy. Either serve me," he looked over at Aragoth as they put him in the back of a wagon. "Or you can join your father in the gallows."

"Ariana…" Aragoth called out to her. "Protect my men! Do whatever you can to keep them safe!"

"I will!" Ariana called out as the wagon began to roll away. "I promise I'll get you out of this!"

"Ariana!"

"Father!"

Iago watched the man be dragged away before turning away, smirking as he returned to his tent. "That went better than expected…"

 _ **Days later…**_

In the dark dungeon's of the captitol, Aragoth sat in his cell chained to the wall. His proud armor had been removed, replaced by drab prison rags.

The doors to the dungeons opened up and he heard footsteps. A growl came from the massive man when he saw Iago's smug, arrogant face smiling down at him. "Well, well. How the mighty have fallen."

"Why are you here, Iago?" Aragoth demanded, standing up. "The campaign. The men. My daughter! What happened?"

Iago shook his head. "It was such a shame. It would appear that the newly appointed commander was too inexperienced. The battle was quite a massacre."

Aragoth merely stared. How could this man talk so casually? Because of him, his men were… "Ariana!" His chains rattled as he struggled against them. "Where is my daughter?!"

"I'm afraid she was among the last to die," Iago said with fake pity. "She tried desperately to order her retreat. Unfortunately, the enemy had already overwhelmed her and the remaining men. You'd be proud of well she fought, even to the end."

"Why?!" Aragoth roared, try to reach for Iago's neck, even though the chains forbid it. "Why would you do this?!"

"I have no plans to remain a lowly advisor," Iago grinned. "My plans are much more grandiose. But in order to move them along, I need to eliminate any obstacles in the military along the way. You and your Hell Dragons were just such an obstacle."

"You-"

Iago turned around. "I look forward to tomorrow's execution. Such a fitting end for Aragoth the Coward. Ta-ta…"

Aragoth seethed as the man walked away laughing at his misery before slumping to the ground. Tears fell down his face. He'd lost everything to this slimy bastard. His command. His battalion. His daughter.

"Gone…" he wept. "They're all gone…"

The dungeon rang with his scream. Aragoth sat slumped on the floor, the countdown to his imminent death ticking away.

His ears picked up the sound of the dungeon opening again but this time he didn't look up, fearing that it was Iago come to gloat again. His anguish was halted when a foreign voice spoke. "Commander Aragoth, why do you despair?"

Looking up, Aragoth saw a knight in silver armor standing in front of his cell. "Who are you?" he asked, standing back up. He looked at the sigil on the man's shield. "I don't recognize your coat of arms. What battalion are you with?"

The man chuckled. "I'm afraid I am not a member of your military. But I am not here to discuss me. I am here for you. Who put you down here?"

"Iago!" Aragoth spat. "That treacherous snake! My men! My daughter! Dead by his hand!"

"I see…you must be angry," the knight nodded. "What would you give if I could give you the chance for revenge?"

"I'm not angry," Aragoth seethed. "My rage is beyond words… and as for what I would give," his eyes burned with fury. "Everything. Anything to kill that rat."

"I see. I am called Pride. And I would let you…" he reached into his bag, "become Wrath." Through the bars he offered an apple.

"Is this a joke?" Aragoth asked as he took the apple.

"This is no jest. Eat, and you will get your revenge."

Aragoth looked at the apple before throwing caution to the wind. If this was a joke then at least he was going to have a full stomach when he died. He took a bite of the apple and swallowed.

"ARGGHHH!" Aragoth screamed as his eyes burned with fire, sin filling his heart. The rage he felt grew and grew as his body was filled with evil energy. The chains snapped as his strength grew. Armor materialized around him as he stood tall. It was similar to his red armor but painted charred black. The disgraced commander Aragoth was no more.

In his place stood Wrath incarnate.

 _ **Twenty-four hours later…**_

The treacherous Iago strolled into the dungeon, flanked by his personal guards. After enduring Aragoth's brutish behavior, he'd have the satisfaction of seeing the man hung. ' _Perhaps I'll ask His Majesty if I can have him drawn and quartered for my amusement.'_

Reaching Aragoth's cell, Iago looked in and saw the shadowy figure in the corner. "Time to die, my disgraceful commander. I hope you're ready to see your daughter in Hell."

"Oh, I'm not quite ready yet…" the figure mumbled as he shambled to the door of his cell.

"Hmm? What's that, traitor? I couldn't…hear…" Iago's words stopped when he noticed something crucial: Aragoth's chains were broken. "Guards! He's-"

The bald advisor was caught off guard when Wrath slammed his fist into the cell door, sending it flying into him. Crashing into the wall, Iago called out to his guards. "Guards! Kill this man!"

The men drew weapons but Wrath drew his bloody sword, returned to him by Pride. Iago watched in horror as Wrath destroyed his men, watching as he murdered them in the most brutal ways a demon can think of.

Trying to escape the vengeful demon, Iago struggled to crawl away, his leg broken from the cell door. "A monster! He's a monster!"

Wrath's boot stopped him. "You're going nowhere, you little rat!"

"Ahhh!" Iago screamed like a little girl as he was hoisted off the ground. When he was turned around, he saw Wrath's face and knew that this wasn't the Aragoth he knew. "The…the king and the generals won't let you get away with this, traitor!"

"I don't care," Wrath seethed, his hatred growing as he continued to stare at the man who'd robbed him of everything. "They're going to die next." To him, a kingdom that allowed a snake like Iago to exist was just as guilty for his men's death as Iago.

"P-please!" Iago begged as Wrath grabbed his head with his massive hand.

Wrath merely scowled beneath his cowl before he crushed Iago's head like an egg. The headless man dropped to the ground, Wrath stepping on and crushing his chest as he walked over him.

As he headed out of the dungeon he saw Pride standing in the entryway, a proud smile on his face. "Very good. Your reputation is well deserved, Commander."

Wrath punched the brick wall next to Pride's head. "Never call me that!" he roared. Turning away, he headed up the stairs, his bloody sword ready to deal more vengeance out to the rest of the kingdom that betrayed him. "Never call me Commander," he told his new comrade.

"My name…is Wrath."

To be continued


	16. Battle of the Swordsmen

_Chapter 16: Battle of the Swordsmen_

 _ **Back to the present…  
**_ **Castle Volkihar**

The tower crumbled to pieces and three fighters fell to the castle below. Erza and Kagura were on the defensive the entire ride down. Wrath didn't let something as pesky as the pull of gravity stop him from slashing at the two women. His massive bloody sword chopped at the two warriors even as they broke through the ceiling of the castle's main floor, falling down into the antechamber.

Crashing into the room, all three fighters landed on their feet. For a tense second nobody moved, all three stuck in their defensive poses. The air was thick and heavy while the Wizards stared down the Demon, the latter staring back from behind his obscuring hood with burning scarlet eyes.

"Be careful," Erza warned her companion. Her regular armor disappeared and she Requipped into her Heaven's Wheel armor. "This man is a force to be reckoned with. He almost killed Natsu when we first met."

"I'm aware," replied the Mermaid Heel woman. Keeping her eyes fixed on Wrath she drew her sword out of its scabbard, the metal glinting in the light poking out from the holes in the ceiling. "He was more than a match for Jura. We cannot take him lightly."

To their surprise, Wrath lowered his weapon and tilted his head back. While Erza and Kagura couldn't see his expression from the darkness of his cowl, it appeared as if the demon was looking at them with intrigue. "Ah yes, Jura," he repeated. His grip tightened on his sword while he basked in the glorious memory of fighting the Wizard Saint. "That one earned my respect. I wonder how you two will compare to him."

Kagura's eyes burned with anger. "Respect? Since when do demons know of anything like honor?"

 _Slam!_

The whole castle shook as Wrath stabbed his sword into the ground. "And what right do Humans have to speak of honor?" he retorted, his angry voice echoing throughout the castle. "Sniveling, worthless Humans, who have become weak. In my fifty years of being sealed away, you've all become weak. Even your so-called Wizard Saint barely got my blood boiling. It sickens me!" he spat. He drew his massive sword out of the ground, a geyser of blood shooting into the air from the ground that had been stabbed.

"Enough!" Erza shouted. She held two swords in her hands and crossed them menacingly. "Where's Hibiki? What have you done with him? And why have you taken him in the first place?"

"Why ask questions when you already know the answers?"

Erza grimaced. "So it's true. You were after his Archive ability!"

"The power to access all stored knowledge is a useful one. Even I must admit how useful Magic has become in the past five decades."

"Where is he?!" demanded Kagura.

Standing up straight, Wrath pointed out the window, to the far west. "Thirty miles from here, there lies a chapel that was once part of the Pride's former religion. He and the others took the spineless Wizard there to force him to use his Archive to find the Tree of Life."

"Hibiki will never agree to that!" Erza shouted. She knew Hibiki. While he wasn't powerful by any means, he was a man of integrity and she trusted his spirit.

But Wrath shook his head. "Your faith in him is pointless. Pride let Sloth… _convince_ the boy." Wrath gave a rare shudder. "Even I do not dare imagine what horrors Sloth can do to him."

"You're surprisingly forward. Isn't telling us all this going to harm your plans?" Kagura asked.

"I am a Demon. But I would never shame myself by trying to deceive someone else. Not even an enemy. And it matters little if I tell you or not." He gripped his sword with both hands and took up a defensive stance. "You two will not leave here alive. And as for your Dragon Slayer pests…"

Erza's eyes widened. "Look out!" she yelled at Kagura.

"RAAAAAAH!" screamed the angry demon as he held his sword up high and stabbed it into the ground. A shockwave rattled the castle to its very foundations. While the three were in the empty antechamber with an already destroyed roof, the others weren't so lucky…

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **Castle Volkihar Cellars**

"Hey Natsu!" Sting grinned as he reached into the darkness of the cellar and pulled out a wine bottle. "Found the good stuff!"

"Let me see that!" Natsu grabbed the bottle and blew off the dust. "Whew! This thing's at least sixty years old! Wonder how good it is?"

Gray rolled his eyes while he, Gajeel and Rogue searched from room to room. "Would you guys knock it off! We're looking for Hibiki, not the wine cell-"

A sudden rumbling got the Wizards attention. The Dragon Slayers and Gray all looked up just in time to see the stone celiing start to collapse.

"EARTHQUAKE!" screamed Happy, diving underneath Natsu for cover. The other Exeed took cover under their Dragon Slayers as well.

Cursing, Gray put his hands together. "EVERYONE GET TO ME! NOW!" He held his hands up as the stones started to rein down on them. "ICE MAKE: SHIELD!"

The group huddled next to Gray as he brought up a shield of ice. However, even with that protection from the falling rocks, they still became trapped underneath the rubble. "Will this is just dandy!" groaned Gajeel. "Now what do we do?"

"Too bad there isn't a rock Dragon Slayer," whined Rogue. "They could just eat our way out."

"It's easy!" Natsu brought his hands together. "I'll just blast us out."

"YOU IDIOT!" Everyone shouted.

"Natsu, use your head!" Sting insisted. "If you use your fire now, you'll burn up all our oxygen! And we don't know how far down below we are! You might end up burying us even further!"

"Well we gotta do something! Gray grunted as he held the shield up from the tons of stone. "My shield isn't going last forever and we're running out of air!"

A hand went to Gray's shoulder. When he turned his head, he saw Gajeel and a full-sized Lily.

"We've got an idea."

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **Castle Volkihar Antichamber**

"YOU BASTARD!" Erza roared. She recklessly charged at the demon in vengeful rage. She knew Natsu and the others were down below, now buried underneath tons of rubble. "You'll pay!"

Wrath swung his sword and met Erza's blades head on. The impact of their blades shook the very air. Even the demon was impressed by Erza's swordsmanship as they traded blows. Over and over again their swords clashed with each other, sparks flying like fireworks.

Jumping backwards, Erza held both swords over her head. "I'll end this now!" she declared, summoning a flurry of blades. Circle Sword!"

The Armored Wizard launched the ring of blades at Wrath. Grunting in annoyance, Wrath brought his sword up and blocked the attack. As blade after blade struck the bloody sword Wrath stood his ground. Gritting his teeth, the mongrel pushed back and shattered the ring of swords. Rearing his massive arms back, Wrath swung his blade and unleashed a wave of hot red blood.

"Sanguniem pluviis."

The speed which the red wave turned into a barrage of bloody spears almost caught her off guard. Yet she vaillantly fended off the attacks, batting them aside with her swords. "This…is nothing!" she shouted.

"Step aside, Erza!" said a charging Kagura. "That sword is dangerous!"

"And you think yours is better?" chided Wrath, who swung his blade at the attacking woman. "Sanguniem pluviis."

The attacking red spears shot towards Kagura. The Mermaid Heel Wizard smirked and retailiated by dicing the spears to bits. She jumped into the air and slashed at Wrath, who answered her blade with his. The two remained locked for a moment, staring each other down. However, Kagura's eyes flickered with recognition when she got a closer look at Wrath's sword. "That's-"

"Kagura!"

The distracition was only a split second but enough to give Wrath time to let go of his sword with one hand and smash his massive fist into Kagura's face. The woman was catapaulted across the antechamber, only saved from being smashed into a wall when Erza caught her.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine," Kagura said, nursing the side of her face. "He's strong. I can see how he felled Natsu easily." She shook off the damage and stood on her feet. "Erza. His sword…"

"I know…" Erza nodded, switching to her Clear Heart armor and katana. She knew that fancy armor wasn't going to win this day. "I noticed it too."

"So…" interrupted Wrath. "You know of Crimson Tide?" he asked, holding up his huge sword.

"Yes," Kagura nodded. "It was a legendary blade, which would store the blood of its victims and use it to repair itself using the iron within. A blade that can never be nicked or broken. I recognize it from books."

Erza shook her head. "But I don't understand. How much blood is that thing holding? It's gushing blood!" Her eyes stared at the massive weapon, blood pooling at Wrath's feet.

Chuckling, Wrath held out the sword. "That is it's power in the hands of a human. But this sword, this relic, is a part of me. My rage is shared with my sword now. It's overflowing with my hot angry blood."

Kagura took up a stabbing stance, grimacing at the huge monster. "You've corrupted your weapon!" She glared at Wrath with angry eyes. "You have no right to call yourself a warrior!" She moved as fast as lightning. Her blade was aimed right at Wrath's black heart and she put all her force into her strike to pierce his thick armor.

Dropping, Wrath moved faster than Kagura expected. She was stunned when her body was stopped in its tracks. Wrath had put both arms in front of him to block the strike, her blade piercing him but stopping just short of reaching his chest. Clenching her teeth, Kagura tried to push the blade that extra inch…

"I recognize this sword," Wrath noted. "Archenemy. It's a fearsome as its reputation says."

Gripping her sword tighter, Kagura tried to pull it out of Wrath's arms but it refused to budge. "How? Archenemy should have pierced you!"

"Had I been a normal man, it would have. However…" Steam erupted from Wrath's red eyes, "I am not ordinary man. I…am…WRATH!"

Wrath kicked Kagura hard. The sudden impact was made all the worse by the sickening sound of ribs breaking from the hit. Blood came out of Kagura's mouth while she was sent flying. ' _Impossible! Even Archenemy isn't enough to pierce him? How did Jura survive this? He's too strong!'_

Jumping into the air, Erza caught her friend. "Kagura! You okay?!" Erza knew that Kagura was in bad shape as she started to cough up more blood. ' _This is bad. That hit alone was almost fatal.'_ Clenching her teeth, she turned and glared daggers at Wrath. "You…"

"Face me, Erza Scarlet!" Wrath demanded. His need for battle was insatiable. "Your ally Jura cracked my armor. Your friend there nearly pierced my heart! Show me your mettle!" Grasping Crimson Tide with both hands he stabbed the massive broadsword into the ground.

"Mare Rubrum!"

A tidal wave of blood erupted in front of him, ready to consume the women. Erza stood her ground and donned her Sea-King Armor. She could dodge it but to do so would doom Kagura. Her shout filled the antechamber when she slashed the red tide, cutting a space big enough for her and Kagura to avoid the tidal wave.

"Hmph!" Wrath pulled out his sword and took up another stance. "Armor against water, eh?"

"Your blood magic is strong. But blood is still water."

"Is that so?"

The Demon and Wizard clashed once again. Each warrior fought with all their might. Wrath's blood magic and his brute strength were put up against Erza's speed and swordplay. With his blood attack's effectiveness reduced thanks to Erza's armor, Wrath suddenly found himself on the defensive, pushed back by the Armored Wizard.

Locking blades with her, Wrath stared into her determined eyes. Erza saw something odd when she looked closer underneath his cowl. Wrath…was smiling. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Wrath simply said. "You impress me, Wizard. Your determination reminds me of someone I knew so long ago." Breaking the bladelock, Wrath threw a massive fist at Erza. As she jumped back, he stabbed his sword into the ground again.

"Again?" She felt the ground rumble at her feet and braced herself. "Another tidal wave?"

"Wrong. Your armor protects you against water attacks. But that's meant for Wizards. Not Demons." He held up his hand and clenched it into a fist. "Vere Rubrum."

The ground beneath Erza's feet erupted, enveloping her in boiling hot blood. "ARGHHH!" Erza screamed, sent flying into the air, her limbs and back burning from the magma-hot blood. Stunned from the attack, Erza was unable to defend herself as Wrath appeared in front of her, his blade held high over his head to cut her in two.

"Erza!"

A shadow appeared in Erza's peripheral. Kagura jumped to block the strike, cringing from the pain in her side.

While Erza plummeted to the ground, Wrath easily blocked Kagura's next strike with his armguards, his hand grasping Kagura's head. "Pathetic. Just like with Jura."

Erza looked on in horror as the demon slammed Kagura into the ground, the floor shattering from the strike. "Stop!" she screamed, struggling to her feet before Kagura was killed.

"Just like with Jura. You had a golden opportunity and you threw it away to save your friend." Wrath hauled his fist back and prepared to smash Kagura's skull. "Weak."

A bolt of lightning stopped Wrath from killing her. The lightning struck his side, making him reel backwards. Erza ran to Kagura and made sure she was still alive. Looking back up, she smiled in relief when she saw her backup.

"So, you're Wrath," Laxus said, crossing his arms while the Thunder God Tribe stood behind him. "You're shorter than I expected.

"Laxus…"

Makarov's grandson looked at the state the two were in and was shocked. For them to be this injured meant that this Demon was powerful. "Go get her to safety. We'll handle it from here."

"Right," Erza picked up Kagura and ran to the exit. "I need to get her to Wendy."

Wrath seethed in fury from being denied his kill. "And who said you could leave?" he shouted as he swung at Erza. Another lightning bolt hit Wrath in the side, the demon skidding backwards.

"And who said you could attack my friends?" Laxus removed his coat and flexed his muscles. Lightning crackled from his body.

"I'm going to destroy you!"

To be continued


End file.
